JEZZA'S was instantly iconic, and Leo's the most memorable the moment he took it.

But when it comes to the best mark taken in a Grand Final, it may be BJ's in the drawn match of 2010.

And as he this week prepares for his 334th – and at this stage, his last game – it is easy to forget that Brendon Goddard sat very comfortably among the competition's elite players in the year he took that mark.

His has been a great AFL career, as it was always meant to be after St Kilda used the overall No.1 pick in the 2002 national draft to secure him.

There are two All Australian honours, a best-and-fairest title at his second club, three personally brilliant Grand Finals, captaincy, and a total of four placings in club champion counts at his two clubs.

Yet with just a bit of luck, it could so easily have been a whole lot better.

Freakish and controversial matters outside the perfectionist Goddard's control ultimately have left him short.

There's Matty Scarlett's toe-poke to Gary Ablett in the 2009 Grand Final which led to a match-winning Paul Chapman goal.

Then the refusal of the Sherrin to sit up for Stephen Milne in the closing seconds of the 2010 drawn Grand Final.

Finally, the drugs program at Essendon in 2012, of which he clearly had no knowledge before becoming a Bomber at the end of that year.

When that matter was publicly exposed in early 2013, Goddard, the fresh recruit, was forced to become the permanent spokesperson for all matters relating to the club.

It was hell for him as he rightly asked questions about the program, while at the same time attempting to project to the public words of confidence and comfort.

Just when he thought the whole saga was finished, he made the public statement, "And as I keep saying to the boys, when we come out of this and we win a Grand Final, they will make a movie and write books about us. I'm serious."

In fact, the saga worsened, with players banned for a season. Goddard became captain, and held the "top-ups" group together.

In the 2009 Grand Final, which came after Goddard had been a key to the Saints winning 22 of 24 matches upon entering that year's premiership decider against Geelong, Goddard had 21 disposals and was listed in the official AFL yearbook as his club's third best player on the day.

The following year, in the two Grand Finals of 2010 against Collingwood, Goddard was the Saints' best contributor, tallying 31 and 29 disposals respectively.

No one would begrudge Lenny Hayes being awarded the Norm Smith Medal in the first game, but Goddard would have been an equally deserving recipient. And in the disastrous second game for St Kilda, daylight was second to Goddard as the Saints' best on the day.

The big mark taken over Heritier Lumumba with seven minutes remaining in the initial clash was meant to be match-defining, particularly after Goddard coolly slotted a goal from the resultant kick to give the Saints a one-goal lead with seven minutes to play.

No matter your allegiances, Goddard's mark in 2010 is forever entrenched in great AFL Grand Final moments, and it rivals Alex Jesaulenko's in 1970 and Leo Barry's in 2005 for impact.

Who could forget the famous 'Jezza' mark in 1970? Picture: AFL Photos

However, either in keeping with a theme, or indeed marking the beginning of that theme, the ultimate career high point was left just out of reach for Goddard on that day, when scores were tied, and then Collingwood destroyed St Kilda the following Saturday.

Goddard exited St Kilda for Essendon as a free agent at the end of 2012. The Saints were in a mess from which they have yet to recover, and in his eyes, the Bombers had a glaringly bright future. His premiership pursuit would be arrived at as a Bomber, he'd surmised.

In his latter years at Essendon, the old-school perfectionist clashed with the millennials, sometimes even during games where cameras captured the frustrations of a scowling, finger-pointing, berating, constantly questioning early-thirties man desperate for success.

Famously, a bowl full of pretzels was swiped off a table at half-time of a game.

"I can't control that, it's who I am," Goddard said after one of those angry displays last season.

The blow-ups happened because he cared, and he always has. Goddard always has stayed true to himself.

And not everyone is able to say that when the end comes, which, for now at least, will be late Friday night when Goddard exits Adelaide Oval.

Twitter: @barrettdamian