Champion North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein is unsure how many games he has left – or if he will play next year – as he prepares to become the sixth Roo to play 300 matches.
Goldstein competed alongside Brent Harvey (432 matches), Drew Petrie (316), Glenn Archer (311) and Adam Simpson (306), with Wayne Schimmelbusch (306) the only other North footballer to reach the milestone.
He is already assured a place among the ruck greats of the modern era, from Melbourne’s Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy, to Eagles Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui, and Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands.
Then and now: Todd Goldstein when drafted in 2006 (left) and pictured this week with shiner.Credit: Paul Rovere and Getty Images
Goldstein’s rivalry with Gawn, in particular, has been memorable, highlighted by one clash in 2016, when he racked up five goals and 38 hit-outs compared to the Demon’s two goals and 63 hit-outs. The Kangaroos won by five points, and Goldstein collected three Brownlow Medal votes.
The 34-year-old has earned All-Australian status, won a Kangaroos best and fairest, and has amassed a VFL/AFL record 9375 hit-outs, including a single-game high of 80 against GWS Giants in 2015.
And Goldstein has done it all from Arden Street despite rival clubs trying to prise him loose several times, most notably Geelong after the 2019 season.
Todd Goldstein will be the sixth Kangaroo to reach 300 games.Credit: AFL Photos
“It means a lot,” Goldstein said.
“I’ve been part of this footy club for 17 years now – you get to know the history and the people behind the scenes, and to know the sort of people I’ve joined, and … what this club means to them and what it means to our supporters, is huge for me.
“I was very open that I wanted to be a 300-game player for this footy club. Loyalty and being a one-club player is a big thing to me and my family, so that was something I always dreamed of.”
Todd Goldstein has more hit-outs than any player in VFL/AFL history.Credit: AFL Photos
The Cats sent coach Chris Scott and Joel Selwood down the highway to pitch a four-year offer to Goldstein, but he chose loyalty, a lesser three-year deal and stability in his life away from football.
“It was never about chasing a flag, or anything like that,” he said. “It obviously got close in 2019, when the club went through a fair change, with Brad [Scott] no longer coaching us, and there wasn’t a contract there, so that was probably where the Geelong situation came from.
“I considered that very strongly, but it was more of an off-field thing, where I had worked pretty hard on my mental space to get myself in a good spot. I thought that, mentally, it was going to be better for me to stay.”
Goldstein inked a one-year deal to remain at North Melbourne in 2023, but Tristan Xerri’s emergence has changed things. Xerri tried to defect to St Kilda two years ago for greater opportunity after being stuck behind Goldstein – and even Tom Campbell at times – under ex-coach David Noble, but has taken over the No.1 ruck mantle. That much was obvious when Goldstein was left out of the Roos’ round one side.
“We’re all proud players and want to be playing, so it definitely hurt, but I understood the reasoning,” he said.
“I knew it was going to be close between me and Tristan, and it was whether we played two [ruckmen] or not, and it wasn’t a week when we needed two ruckmen – they didn’t think – so I fully understood.
“You’re upset for a few hours, you deal with it, you talk to your family and friends about it, then you realise you’ve got a job to do – and that was, for me, to help Tristan play well in that game and to help our VFL side and young boys.
“It’s just part of being an elite athlete. You know there comes a point when you might not get picked, or might get dropped, and it’s just about how you respond, and I feel like I handled it well and responded.”
The trajectory of Goldstein’s season changed again when Xerri suffered an ankle syndesmosis setback in the season opener that required surgery and will sideline him for as many as two more months.
Todd Goldstein is unsure about his future beyond 2023.Credit: Getty Images
The veteran big man has stepped in without missing a beat and there have been no further conversations on what will happen once Xerri is fit. But Goldstein is prepared to play in the VFL again, if that scenario arises.
No discussions have started about his longer-term future, not even between Goldstein and his agent, Tom Petroro, so the prospect of playing even more at second-tier level in 2024, if he chose to continue, has not crossed his mind.
“At this point, yeah, I’m keen to play on,” Goldstein said.
“It’s just about trying to help the footy club where I can this year, and when it gets close to the end of the year, I’m sure those discussions will be had. But I understand that when you get to 34, 35, these decisions take a bit of time.
“I think it’ll be what’s best for the footy club, and what’s best for me and my family – and we’ll go from there.”
As for Sunday’s milestone match against Gold Coast, where about 30 family and friends will travel to watch, Goldstein’s ideal scenario is simple.
“If we get a win,” he said. “I’m beyond the point where I really care about how many hit-outs or touches I get. I just want to win the game, hopefully, and I know the boys will do their best to do that.”
