on the reasons St Kilda chose not to counter the Bombers' offer: "As far as the offer that was put forward to Brendon, it would've put him in the top two highest paid players at our football club", Watters said. "The reason (for Goddard leaving) is money. It's that simple." St Kilda was said to have offered "significantly more" than $500,000 a year to Goddard. Essendon: 2013–2018 He joined Essendon with aspirations of winning a premiership, but found himself walking into one of the biggest controversies in Australian sporting history. Goddard took on the responsibility of being a leader and speaking to the media where his new teammates were not allowed to speak. Goddard's first season at Essendon was capped off when he won the first best-and-fairest award of his career. He played every game for the season, mainly through the midfield, averaging 26 disposals and kicking 18 goals, his best season tally since 2010. His leadership continued to be valued on and off the field, and his maturity and experience in big games proved invaluable to the young list. In 2014, Goddard once again maintained his form on the field, whilst again being a voice for his teammates in the media. He was important in Essendon's loss to the North Melbourne Football Club and finished third in the W. S. Crichton Medal. In January 2016, Goddard was named as Essendon's captain, replacing the suspended Jobe Watson. Mark Baguley was named as vice-captain. In August 2018, Essendon opted not to offer Goddard a contract for the 2019 season, effectively ending Goddard's football career. Statistics |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2003 | || 18 || 18 || 6 || 6 || 156 || 83 || 239 || 77 || 30 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 8.7 || 4.6 || 13.3 || 4.3 || 1.7 || 0 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2004 | || 18 || 24 || 4 || 4 || 174 || 128 || 302 || 109 || 48 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 7.3 || 5.3 || 12.6 || 4.5 || 2.0 || 3 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2005 | || 18 || 19 || 6 || 4 || 178 || 105 || 283 || 91 || 41 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 9.4 || 5.5 || 14.9 || 4.8 || 2.2 || 0 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2006 | || 18 || 22 || 10