North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein keen to play for another four years

Evergreen North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein has revealed plans to play on for three or four more seasons, declaring his best football is still to come.

Todd Goldstein and St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie vie for a ruck tap during the JLT Series. Picture: Michael Klein.

North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein has revealed plans to play on for three or four more seasons, saying he feels as if his best footy is ahead of him.

Goldstein, who turns 31 in July, regained his status as one of the AFL’s most influential ruckmen last season after a couple of tough years on and off the field.

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With the new 6x6x6 rules, and the departure of Braydon Preuss to Melbourne, Goldstein’s importance to the team remains as high as ever as he heads into today’s game against Fremantle in Perth.

Todd Goldstein jostles with St Kilda ruckman Lewis Pierce at a boundary throw in. Picture: Hamish Blair.

“I am enjoying life and footy,” Goldstein said at the Kayo Sports launch this week.

“I was really motivated when the (2018) season finished because I want to get better. I know I am in my 30s now, but I still feel as if I have got a lot of footy left in me.

“I believe my best footy is still in front of me.

“I don’t care how old I am. I still think I have got three to four years left the way I am feeling now. I want to make sure I leave no stone unturned.”

Todd Goldstein wins a hitout against Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs. Picture: Sarah Reed.

Goldstein will take on Docker Sean Darcy and Rory Lobb later today, and is confident the Kangaroos’ recruiting strategy that brought in AFL players Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard, Aaron Hall and Dom Tyson as well as father-son selection Bailey Scott will pay dividends in the long run.

“We have got high hopes we can make a difference this year,” he said. “We have got the cattle to do well, we’ve got that depth now.

“It (chemistry) is one of those unknown qualities, we probably would have liked to have played a bit more footy together.

“But the guys have fitted in well. Four of our new recruits are not young blokes. They know what they need to do. They are good people who want to learn. They understand the game plan and they showed enough through the JLT Series.”