Essendon veteran Brendon Goddard has declared he wants to continue his decorated career as he prepares to play his 300th AFL game.
The 32-year-old will reach the milestone in Saturday's clash with Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium, having played 205 games with St Kilda before joining the Bombers at the end of 2012 as a free agent.
An All-Australian in 2009 and 2010, when the Saints lost consecutive grand finals, Goddard has been a key contributor this year for Essendon and says he hopes to sign a deal to play on next season.
"I would have thought that towards the end of the year, (2018) will sort itself out," Goddard said on Wednesday.
"That's probably a two-way street. I'll probably say one thing and the club might have different thoughts.
"Physically, I feel really good and, mentally, I'm in a good space. If all things are equal, we're both heading in the right direction and have the same opinion, I'll continue to play for as long as I think I can help the team or I'm not holding the team back."
Apart from 2007, with a knee reconstruction after tearing his ACL, Goddard has played the majority of games for the past 15 seasons and says he is reaping the rewards from his meticulous preparation for games.
A notoriously fierce competitor, Goddard believes there have been times where his fiery personality has been misunderstood, including by his own teammates.
Former Geelong great Paul Chapman, who played alongside Goddard at Essendon for two seasons, accused him of being a self-centred perfectionist who was poor at controlling his emotions.
"I won't put my head in the sand and say I didn't deserve a clip from time to time," Goddard said.
"I've always said the people that know me well, and the people that I respect, know what I'm like and where it's coming from and my meaning behind it most of the time.
"There's no doubt I've stepped over the line on occasions and I've known the areas I needed to improve."
He said moving to Essendon had helped to revitalise his career, despite the Bombers' supplements saga blowing up just months later.
"Probably, at some points there, you never thought it was going to end, the whole saga," he said.
"In saying that, I never thought the (premiership) window was shut. I've got great faith in the club and the playing list, hence why I made the decision to come to Essendon in the first place, and I continue to have great faith in the direction the club is going."
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