The aches and pains might be lingering for a bit longer these days but Pirates prop Ben Goodman has no plans to hang up the boots just yet.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
“Now that I know Ricko’s got me I’m not stopping,” the 31-year old said tongue-in-cheek after becoming the second most-capped first grader for Pirates behind Brendan Rixon.
Not that Goodman had any idea that last Saturday’s clash with Narrabri was his 150th first grade game.
“I didn’t even know about it truth be told until Saturday,” he said.
It is customary in such situations for the player whose milestone game it is to lead the team out but Goodman – as is his tradition – preferred to still run out last.
“Usually I go last,” he explained.
It’s a superstition he has had “forever”.
“I have no idea how it started,” he said.
Unlike his 100th, which he brought up in the 2013 major semi-final, Goodman did have a win to celebrate with Pirates overcoming a man disadvantage and tenacious Narrabri to notch their sixth win of the season.
On Saturday they’ll be looking to make it seven from seven when they host Inverell.
“We’re building every week,” Goodman said.
“We’re still not there. We’re probably 70 per cent.”
From Bathurst originally, Goodman took a detour north enroute to finding a home in Tamworth.
“I did three years in the (Northern) Territory jackarooing when I finished school,” he said.
“My parents moved here when I was up north that’s why I ended up here.”
Intending to play “footy somewhere”, Goodman found himself having a few beers with Rixon and Evan Kellow, and as he put it “it all descended from there”.
He played his first season in 2008, and has been a constant presence at the front of the Pirates scrum ever since.
They have been years of unprecedented success for the club and the highlights have been numerous.
“My first premiership (2009) was pretty good. But they’re all sweet. They’re all fun,” Goodman said.
Part of a core that have been there through Pirates’ four straight premierships and their more recent successes, Goodman has enjoyed the ride with what have become some great mates.
That mateship was what enticed him back onto the field after having 2013 off “because my body wasn’t coping”.
“I wanted to play footy with this group of blokes,” he said.
The same goes for a lot of them.
“Everyone’s kept each other going,” Goodman said.
Much to his satisfaction the scrum has transformed into a real weapon for Pirates over the last couple of seasons.
It was effectively the difference in last years grand final and was the cornerstone of the triumph over the Blue Boars.
The ultimate display of team-work, Goodman attributed it to “a fair bit of hard work” and everyone knowing each others job.
In the round’s other fixtures on Saturday Walcha host Scone, Barraba are at home to Gunnedah and Narrabri travel to Quirindi.
