CONNECTING THE BRANCHES

1997

Is drafted by the Sydney Swans at a bargain with pick No.43 in the national draft.

1999

Makes his AFL debut, aged 19, going on to win the AFL’S Rising Star Award that season.

2003

Claims the game’s highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, alongside Adelaide’s Mark Ricciuto and Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley.

2005

Helps Sydney to a four-point grand final win over West Coast in a match that would set the stage for a fierce rivalry between the two clubs. He is also awarded life membership at the Swans after playing his 150th game.

2006

Wins his second Brownlow Medal after a standout season, becoming the first Indigenous player to claim the honour twice. He leads Sydney to a second consecutive grand final against West Coast where the Swans go down by one point.

2011

Plays his 300th game, setting the record as the quickest player to reach the major milestone and wins the Swans’ Best and Fairest.

2012

Goodes becomes the Swans’ games record holder when he plays his 304th AFL game in round five. He is instrumental in his side’s grand final win over Hawthorn, playing on a ruptured posterior cruciate ligament for much of the game in what is regarded as one of the gutsiest performances of all time.

2013

In a defining moment during Indigenous Round, Goodes calls out a teenage Collingwood supporter for racially abusing him. She is escorted from the MCG.

2014

Goodes is named Australian of the Year for his work fighting against racism. He is “booed” for much of the season, including the Swans’ grand final loss to Hawthorn.

2015

The “booing” of Goodes continues for much of the 2015 season, causing him to take leave from the game. He retires after the Swans’ finals loss to North Melbourne having played 372 games. He does not attend the grand final lap of honour for retiring players.

2019

Documentaries The Australian Dream and The Final Quarter, which both detail the tumultuous final years of Goodes’ career, are released.

2021

Goodes declines to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame. He co-authors children’s book Somebody’s Land; Welcome To Our Country.

2022

Launches Ngapulara Ngarngarnyi Wirra, one of the many projects he is involved in to connect with his Aboriginal heritage.