Brendon Goddard of St Kilda is the round seven National AFL Rising Star nominee.

The number one draft selection at the 2002 National AFL Draft, Goddard has played four matches already this season, his first coming in round four of the 2003 AFL Premiership Season.

The versatile Traralgon youngster played a key role in St Kilda's victory against Carlton on Saturday night at Telstra Dome, gathering 20 possessions in an impressive backline display to win his National AFL Rising Star nomination.

Goddard is one of many young Saints to have recently graduated from the National AFL Pathway Program, including former National AFL Rising Star winners Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt.

Recruited from the Gippsland Power, Goddard has been lauded for his long and precise kicking. He rose rapidly through the national AFL Pathway Program, winning the Sheehan Medal at the National AFL Under 16 Championships, before advancing his development through the AIS-AFL Academy, where he captained the Australian Under 17 team against Ireland in one of the International Rules Test.

He again starred for Vic Country at the National AFL Under 18 Championships in Melbourne in July last year, before impressing scouts with his versatility and speed at the National AFL Draft Camp in Canberra.