When St Kilda’s list management team read out Hugh Goddard’s name on draft night in 2014, it was a selection five years in the making.
Swapping hands five times in five seasons, pick 21 went on an amazing journey along the east coast of Australia before landing at the Saints in a trade that saw Rhys Stanley make his way to Geelong.
In that five-year span, the pick went from Brisbane to Gold Coast to Greater Western Sydney, back to Brisbane, then to Geelong before finishing at St Kilda.
The pick was born from former Lion Jared Brennan's move down the M1 to the Gold Coast. It was a complicated deal that kicked off the journey, with the Lions sending the compensation pick for Brennan, pick 10 and 48 to the Suns for 5, 25 and 27.
Jared Brennan’s departure was deemed worthy of an end of round one compensation pick, with the AFL placing an expiry date on the selection. Clubs had five years from Brisbane receiving the compensation to activate and use in that upcoming draft, to which teams had to indictate earlier that year if they wished to use it.
Now in Gold Coast’s hands, they elected not to use it over the next two years, putting the pick on the trade table in 2012. In a deal with Greater Western Sydney, the Suns sent the Brennan compensation and pick two to the Giants for selection one in the ‘mini draft’, allowing them to secure young gun Jaeger O’Meara.
Similar to the Suns, Greater Western Sydney opted to bank the pick for 2013, not using to draft or trade. However, by 2014 the pick was in its final year and had to be used in the upcoming draft.
It would be the 2014 trade period that the pick racked up serious mileage to end up at the Saints.
Doing a full circle, the selection returned to Brisbane when the Giants traded for key defender Joel Patfull. The trade worked in the Lions’ favour, enabling them to land want away midfielder Allen Christensen from Geelong.
With Christensen now a Cat and the pick in Geelong’s hands, this is where St Kilda joined the party.
The end of round one compensation pick was to be at 21 and in a deal for Rhys Stanley and pick 60, St Kilda would become the final destination of a pick that crossed three states and over 3,686 kilometres.
Taking pick 1, 21, 22 and 41 to the draft in Sydney, the Saints had a few bites of the cherry in a draft stocked with young promising talent.
After selecting Paddy McCartin with number one, St Kilda were back on the clock at 21 and didn’t pass up the opportunity to bolster their defensive stocks with Hugh Goddard.
With the selection of Daniel McKenzie following at 22 and Jack Lonie later at 41, the Saints continued the list regeneration. Just so happens one of the components had a five-year head start.
Still confused? Here’s a breakdown of how pick 21 arrived at St Kilda.
TRADE 1
Brisbane receive pick 5, 25, 27 and Rohan Bewick
Gold Coast receive end of first round compensation for Jared Brennan pick, pick 10 and 48
TRADE 2
Gold Coast receive GWS mini-draft pick 1, end of first round compensation for Rhys Palmer
GWS receive picks 2, 67 and end of first round compensation for Jared Brennan
TRADE 3
GWS receive Joel Patfull
Brisbane receive pick 21 (compensation pick for Brennan)
TRADE 4
Brisbane receive Allen Christensen
Geelong receive pick 21
TRADE 5
Geelong receive Rhys Stanley
St Kilda receive pick 21
