The best of Eddie Betts: the champ selects his top five goals

Carlton and ex-Adelaide star forward Eddie Betts has announced his retirement from the AFL. Ahead of his 300th game in April 2019, he told Peter Ryan about the top five goals he had kicked in an illustrious career to that point. Now, in August 2021, we revisit that list.

When you have kicked 569 goals and won goal of the year three times, narrowing down the favourite five goals of a 299-game career is not an easy task.

But on the eve of his 300th game, Adelaide champion Eddie Betts has managed to do the impossible, once again, and list in order the top five goals of his illustrious career.

They span from his first goal of the year award in 2006, when he slotted a banana kick from the boundary on the MCG while wearing a Carlton jumper after smothering Collingwood defender Tarkyn Lockyer's handball, to 2016, when he kicked a goal from the boundary at the Adelaide Oval against Greater Western Sydney wearing an Indigenous round jumper that was designed by his auntie.

They are the best of Eddie Betts.

Eddie's best: Adelaide v Greater Western Sydney, Round 10, 2016, Adelaide Oval

Betts: "My auntie [Susie Betts] designed the jumper and to win goal of the year for the second year in a row in that jersey in Indigenous round was unbelievable."

2. Round nine, 2015, Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval

Champion Hawks goalkicker Jason Dunstall says after the goal, "I don't care who you are, you are not entitled to kick that."

Dwayne Russell Fox commentary: "Eddie Betts, not his pocket, no way, not from there ... oooh Eddie, feed the frenzy Eddie."

3. Round 18, 2011, Carlton v Essendon, MCG

Betts: "I rate that Essendon one really, really high. I got it in the pocket and Dyson Heppell was coming the other way to cut me off. I went one way and slipped and got back up, baulked, and went the other way and slid myself around and ended up snapping it through."

Henry Slattery (his Bombers' opponent): "It was a little bit of confusion between myself and my teammate [Heppell], who was actually closest to him at the time, about who was going to go at him. You try to cut off that outlet if there is one so I think there was a bit of confusion. I went left as I thought Dyson was closer and then he stopped. It was one of those. I remember it vividly."

4. Round 21, 2006, Carlton v Collingwood, MCG

Betts laughs every time he thinks of this goal as it gives him a chance to sledge his former teammate and friend Heath Scotland who was lying in the middle of the MCG turf as Betts showcased his brilliant skills.

Betts: "Heath Scotland just got knocked out by Alan Didak in the middle of the ground. I can run through the play if you want."

5. Round 13, 2014, Adelaide v North Melbourne

Betts: "I hit the ball at pace in the pocket and to kick it like that, at full pace, and for it to go through was unbelievable. The Eddie Betts' pocket? That is where it all stemmed from."