It’s hard to imagine a Collingwood team without Tyson Goldsack.
Fortunately, supporters won’t have to contemplate the idea for a while yet.
The 30-year-old, who has performed almost every role football can ask from a player, will continue into his 12th season in 2018 after committing to a one-year contract extension.
“Tyson enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2017,” General Manager of List Management Derek Hine told Collingwood Media.
“He played 20 matches and his versatility, courage, selflessness and team-first mentality gave his teammates and coaches real certainty about what they could expect from him.
“Tyson is now a senior figure in the change room and we look forward to him continuing in 2018 and beyond.”
Goldsack, who arrived at the Holden Centre with the 63rd selection in the 2006 National Draft, has been one of Collingwood’s most reliable players for the best part of a decade.
He has overcome the odds, too, battling various injuries, illness and the occasional selection setback across his football journey, but invariably has reclaimed his place in the Magpies’ first-choice line up.
His past 12 months have proven as much.
Goldsack played just four of a possible 22 senior games in 2016, spending eight in the VFL and a further 10 on the sidelines.
But instead of fading into the football sunset, Goldsack hit back hard, missing all bar two senior games in a year that saw him re-establish himself as one of Nathan Buckley’s most important players.
Playing mostly in defence, Goldsack’s leadership was crucial in marshalling his young teammates, and he was lauded for his courage in playing out the match against Fremantle despite a broken shoulder mid-season.
It wasn’t lost on his teammates, either, who nominated him for the AFL Players’ Association’s Most Courageous Player.
Debuting midway through 2007, and with 161 senior games to his name, Goldsack is the second-longest serving Magpie, and will continue to play a strong leadership role into season 2018.
Tyson Goldsack
Age: 30
Games: 151
Goals: 50
Debut: Round 8 2007 v Western Bulldogs at Docklands Stadium
In 2017
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Average disposals: 13.25
Average marks: 3.60
Average tackles: 2.45
Average one-percenters: 6.40