CARLTON recruit Hugh Goddard continued his outstanding run of form for the Northern Blues in Sunday’s clash with Essendon.

The talented defender continued his consistent over the first nine rounds for Northern on the weekend.

Overseeing his exceptional start in the VFL, Northern Blues senior coach Josh Fraser praised the rookie for his leadership credentials down back.

The defender spent the first years of his AFL career at St Kilda, but an unlucky run with injury saw him land a second chance at Carlton over the off-season.

“He’s got that experience obviously coming from St Kilda, but I think he’s been able to impart a lot of knowledge on to our young players,” Fraser said.

“His preparation allows him to perform by himself as an individual and then he’s got the confidence to be able to set up and organise players around him.”

Goddard’s defensive craft has gone from strength to strength in recent weeks, with his spoiling and outstanding intercept marking a hallmark of his game.

Averaging 7.4 marks over his first nine games in the VFL, Fraser commended Goddard on his dominance aerially.

“He does a lot of work with Shane Watson and Dale Amos - our backline coaches - refining his technique,” he said.

“He’s got a great ability to read the ball in the air, identify where his opponent is and then affect that aerial contest.”

The former Saint brings a wealth of experience to the young side in terms of his preparation and previous AFL experience.

“It comes through his training preparation and he’s really consistent out on the track in terms of being able to play to his strengths,” he said.

“He’s a guy that’s had a lot of VFL experience and also some AFL exposure so he uses all that knowledge to go and perform game day for us.”