“Personally it is fantastic for Matthew. He is a sensational player and he really works hard at his game. He has had a day out and a quarter out in the first quarter! Full credit to him – he ended up kicking 11 goals one and that one point was when he hit the post from a very acute angle. So he has had a pretty good day out.”
Madden played the majority of his career in the ruck and said it is more fitting for a full-forward to hold the goal kicking record. “It is probably disappointing that John Coleman didn’t hold the record because he only played 98 games. In modern times it was an injury that would probably have only kept him out for a season. He would have gone onto to play 200 games and maybe kicked twice as many as he did. I just hung around long enough to average about two goals a game and it just eventually added up and I was in front.
“Realistically it is better for a full forward to hold the record. If you look at the likes of Lockett, Dunstall etc who are around the 1000 plus goal mark, realistically if Lloydy keeps his form up and is free from injury he should be up around four figures of goal kicking at the end of his career,” said the current Bomber ruck coach.
Simon Madden kicked 575 goals in his 378 games for Essendon Football Club. Other playing honours include:
1984 and 1985 Premiership, EFC captain 1980-81, Best and Fairest 1977, 1979, 1983-1984, EFC Life Member 1983, Best Club Man 1983, Best Team Man 1987 and 1989, Best First Year Player 1974, Team of the Century 1997, Champion of Essendon 2002, Norm Smith Medal 1985, Victorian captain 1989-1991, runner-up Brownlow 1988, All-Australian 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, AFL Hall of Fame inductee 1996. AFL life member 1988,
