Jamie Goddard
Encyclopedia
Jamie Goddard is an Australia
n former professional rugby league
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played club football for the Gold Coast Seagulls/Chargers
, the North Sydney Bears
and the Northern Eagles
. His position of choice was at hooker.
Goddard was also selected for the Queensland Maroons on four occasions, three of them starting at hooker.
Under 19s team when spotted by the Gold Coast
team.
, but it was to be his only appearance for the season. In 1993 and 1994, he made a handful of appearances, mostly from the bench, but it wasn't until 1995 that cemented his position at hooker, winning the job from Eddie Fallins.
Goddard played with Gold Coast Chargers
, as they became known, captaining the club until their exit from the competition at the end of the 1998 NRL season. He holds the club record for most first grade matches (86), and was a member of the first Gold Coast team to make, and win, a semi-final during the split 1997 season. His team-mates included Marcus Bai
, Wes Patten
, Martin Bella
, and Scott Sattler
. They defeated the Illawarra Steelers
25-14.
for the 1999 season. He started from the bench in his first game, behind Mark Soden, but was the starting hooker for the remainder of the year, scoring 7 tries.
With the merger between the Bears and Manly in 2000, Goddard found himself playing with the newly-formed Northern Eagles
. He played 50 games with the Eagles, mostly starting from the bench in the first 2 seasons. Goddard was starting at hooker in 2002, but at the end of that season Manly dissolved their relationship with the Bears, and Goddard retired.
. He played in all 3 games in the 1997 series, when many of Queensland's stars were playing in the rival Super League Tri-series
. Queensland lost the series 2-1. The next year he played hooker in the series-deciding third match, which Queensland won. Goddard never played Origin football again, though he was named in the 22-man squad as late as 2002.
Goddard's contribution is perhaps best remembered for a fight he had with Andrew Johns
during the third match of the 1997 series, when he knocked Johns to the ground and Johns required 27 stitches.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n former professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played club football for the Gold Coast Seagulls/Chargers
Gold Coast Chargers
Gold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
, the North Sydney Bears
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
and the Northern Eagles
Northern Eagles
The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team, that competed in the National Rugby League between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2000...
. His position of choice was at hooker.
Goddard was also selected for the Queensland Maroons on four occasions, three of them starting at hooker.
Early years
Goddard first played junior football at the age of 13 with Brothers Mount Isa. He was playing with the QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Under 19s team when spotted by the Gold Coast
Gold Coast Chargers
Gold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
team.
Gold Coast
In 1992, Goddard made his debut with the Gold Coast Seagulls in a 26-6 win over Parramatta EelsParramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
, but it was to be his only appearance for the season. In 1993 and 1994, he made a handful of appearances, mostly from the bench, but it wasn't until 1995 that cemented his position at hooker, winning the job from Eddie Fallins.
Goddard played with Gold Coast Chargers
Gold Coast Chargers
Gold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
, as they became known, captaining the club until their exit from the competition at the end of the 1998 NRL season. He holds the club record for most first grade matches (86), and was a member of the first Gold Coast team to make, and win, a semi-final during the split 1997 season. His team-mates included Marcus Bai
Marcus Bai
Marcus Bai is a Papua New Guinean former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a winger, he played his final season in 2006 for English Super League team Bradford Bulls. He is the only man to win the World Club Challenge with three different clubs...
, Wes Patten
Wes Patten
Wes Patten is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s. He played for the Balmain Tigers, Gold Coast Chargers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Patten primarily played at half-back.Patten now works as a reporter and sideline host for the...
, Martin Bella
Martin Bella
Martin Bella is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A prop forward, he achieved national and state representation and played club football for various teams in Queensland, New South Wales and England. He is of Italian descent....
, and Scott Sattler
Scott Sattler
Scott Sattler is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who later became the Football Manager for the Gold Coast Titans. As a player he played for the Gold Coast Chargers from 1992 to 1993 as well as a second spell with the club between 1997 and 1998...
. They defeated the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
25-14.
Bears and Eagles
With the closure of the Chargers, Goddard signed with North Sydney BearsNorth Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
for the 1999 season. He started from the bench in his first game, behind Mark Soden, but was the starting hooker for the remainder of the year, scoring 7 tries.
With the merger between the Bears and Manly in 2000, Goddard found himself playing with the newly-formed Northern Eagles
Northern Eagles
The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team, that competed in the National Rugby League between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2000...
. He played 50 games with the Eagles, mostly starting from the bench in the first 2 seasons. Goddard was starting at hooker in 2002, but at the end of that season Manly dissolved their relationship with the Bears, and Goddard retired.
Representative
Goddard played 4 games for the Queensland MaroonsQueensland rugby league team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
. He played in all 3 games in the 1997 series, when many of Queensland's stars were playing in the rival Super League Tri-series
Super League Tri-series
The Super League Tri-series was a rugby league football tournament contested in 1997 between Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand representative rugby league teams...
. Queensland lost the series 2-1. The next year he played hooker in the series-deciding third match, which Queensland won. Goddard never played Origin football again, though he was named in the 22-man squad as late as 2002.
Goddard's contribution is perhaps best remembered for a fight he had with Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
during the third match of the 1997 series, when he knocked Johns to the ground and Johns required 27 stitches.