Up at Ballarat for Australia Day and grabbed a copy of local paper to find the this. Big Loss for Roosters.
VFL: Goodes stuns North Ballarat
DAVID BREHAUT
25 Jan, 2010 11:24 PM
VFL powerhouse North Ballarat has been stung by the departure of dual premiership player Brett Goodes.
Goodes, who turns 26 next month, is moving to Darwin to take up a newly created position with the NTAFL.
He has accepted the dual role of Darwin-based indigenous employment manager and regional development manager for Katherine. Goodes will also play with the NT Thunder in the QAFL.
An emotional Goodes dropped the bombshell to teammates at a team meeting before training at Eureka Stadium last night.
Goodes leaves the Roosters after 85 senior and 26 reserves appearances since 2004.
He represented the VFL in 2008 - the same season in which he went within two votes of winning the competition's best and fairest, the JJ Liston Trophy.
The younger brother of Sydney Swans dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes was originally from Dimboola. He spent three years with the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup under-18s before playing one year (2003) with Port Adelaide in the SANFL.
Goodes developed into one of the VFL's best defensive midfielders and his presence was pivotal in North Ballarat's back-to-back premierships in the past two years. Roosters head coach Gerard FitzGerald said Goodes was a massive loss, but what he achieved was a fine example for young players to follow.
FitzGerald put it to first-year players last night to take up the challenge of achieving the same that Goodes had while with the Roosters - words echoed by captain Shaune Moloney in the team meeting.
The Goodes move comes on top of the loss fellow dual premiership players Michael Searl (overseas), Paul McMahon (Lake Wendouree and overseas) and Jacob Spolding (Newtown Chilwell), as well as the experienced duo of Dean Chester (one premiership) to Redan and Tristan Cartledge (ex-Essendon and Richmond, and VFL representative) to Strathmore.
Torn between leaving family, friends and a football club which he has been part of for almost a decade, and the opportunity to further his football career at a professional level, Goodes took two months to reach his decision.
Goodes was fighting back the tears as he explained the process in weighing up the pros and cons of staying or leaving. He said if it had just been down to playing football and family - his mother lives in Ballarat - he definitely would have stayed.
However, Goodes said the opportunity to expand on what he was doing at St Patrick's College in working with indigenous youth and communities in football was too good not to take up.
Goodes plans to move late next month.
