Craig Goodwin is one of the favourites for the Johnny Warren Medal and has Adelaide United on the cusp of the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final. His former coach Gary van Egmond speaks to KEEPUP’s Sacha Pisani about the growth of the Reds and Socceroos star.
A goalscorer. A playmaker. A leader. A local. Craig Goodwin is flourishing amid the weight of a state on his shoulders.
South Australian hero Goodwin has been a cut above this season, regularly producing in key moments to spearhead Adelaide United’s quest to reach the Isuzu UTE A-League.
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Only Serginho (17 in 2010-11) and Bruce Djite (11 in 2015-16) have score more goals for Adelaide in an A-League Men season than Goodwin (10). His eight assists are just one shy of the most by a Red in a campaign since Opta began collecting the data in 2012-13) – Goodwin himself (nine in 2018-19) and Sergio Cirio (nine in 2014-15).
The Socceroo – in his third stint as a Red – is also a strong candidate to claim the Johnny Warren Medal as Adelaide prepare for Sunday’s semi-final second leg against Melbourne City at AAMI Park, where the tie is deadlocked at 0-0.
From Victorian state league to Newcastle
Goodwin has come a long way since his days with Newcastle Jets.
A 20-year-old “introvert”, Goodwin was lured to the Hunter Valley by then-Jets head coach Gary van Egmond in 2012, with help from current Newcastle boss Arthur Papas.
Bypassed by the system, Papas handed a lifeline to Goodwin at Oakleigh Cannons in the Victorian state leagues the year prior, having been released by Adelaide’s youth team. He was quickly snapped up by Melbourne Heart before the Jets came knocking.
“When I was working at the Jets, I brought Arthur Papas in and he was the one that alluded me to Craig Goodwin,” Van Egmond told KEEPUP, reflecting on his time with Goodwin in Newcastle.
“He came in and we could see he had a lot of talent. It was an interesting one because at the stage, he was a pretty conservative young fellow. Confident in his own ability but fairly conservative. Didn’t talk a great deal among the group.
“The other part was, we were always in a position going, will he make a really good attacking full-back or will he make a wide player? He got experiences in both of those positions, which looking back on it now ultimately helped him in his development.
“He put his head down. I’m not going to say we were really hard on him but we definitely ensured that he did work hard and pushed him. He was grateful for when we’ve spoken to him later on.”
Goodwin rebuilt his career with Papas’ Oakleigh in the Victorian Premier League (now known as NPL VIC).
He played in the 2011 Grand Final under Papas and his exploits caught the eye of Heart (now Melbourne City), initially with the youth team. It wasn’t long before he was thrust into the senior squad, producing a man-of-the-match performance on debut in round 19 of the 2011-12 season.
Van Egmond said: “He really wanted to become a footballer. He was extremely grateful for the opportunity.
“Coming from a state league and working into the A-League, there’s always that transition. But he was prepared for that, he was prepared to put his head down and work hard.
“He had a real self-belief. It’s great to see where he has got to now and how well he’s done in regards to playing overseas and Socceroos.”
Forging his talents into ‘complete’ star
Goodwin stands alone as Adelaide’s all-time leading scorer in ALM history, a feat he achieved this season.
The talented 30-year-old is also one of Adelaide’s most decorated players with an A-League Men Championship and Premiership (both in 2015-16), plus an FFA Cup title (2018).
His career has taken him abroad, to Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie as well as Saudi outfit Al Wehda, where he is on loan from in Adelaide.
It’s the result of years of hard work, as Van Egmond explains.
“I have a bit of a different take on talent. Talent is forged,” Van Egmond, a Championship winner with the Jets, said. “You get gifts and then how hard you work on those gifts actually forges talent.
“Everyone might say Craig is a talented footballer, but the talent is forged and the reason he is so talented is because he worked so hard at this craft.”
Goodwin has been in devastating form at Coopers Stadium this term.
No player across the competition in 2021-22 has created more scoring chances than Goodwin (84). That figure is the most of any Adelaide player in a season since Opta began collecting the data in 2012-13, and the fifth-most of any player overall.
Goodwin’s 13 scoring chances for Hiroshi Ibusuki and 11 for Jacob Tratt this ALM season make him just one of four players to have created 10+ scoring chances for multiple players this campaign, along with Melbourne City’s Florin Berenguer, Jay O’Shea of Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix’s David Ball.
“I don’t know why it is but most lefties are just beautiful passes of the ball,” added Van Egmond. “It’s like left-handed batsmen in cricket, they look majestic.
“He had that excellent ball-striking ability with his left foot and to be really fair to Craig, he has developed so much on his right-hand side, so that it’s a difficult one now to contain a player like Craig, where if you show him inside, he is very capable with his so-called weaker foot.
“That’s where you can see how much he has worked on his game, when you can start to see the overall improvement in different areas. Heading is another area. He’s obviously always had that ability of taking on players and beating players.
“His decision making has got better because the experiences he’s had and the way he’s been able to work out the timing in terms of delivery. The other part is his one-touch finishing from the opposite side.
“He’s become such a complete, I would suggest striker, that he’s done extremely well.”
Goodwin was a “pretty shy” kid, as Van Egmond recalls. But the seven-time Australia international has embraced the captain’s armband since Stefan Mauk’s mid-season exit.
The veteran has not been weighed down by the expectations in South Australia, instead taking his game and leadership to a new level under Carl Veart.
“Sometimes you look at players who are leaders,” said Van Egmond. “Some people can bring people together from the way they talk and communication.
“There are others from an action perspective. From Craig’s perspective, he got a lot more confidence in himself because of his ability and that also lends it to the leadership role, which is being able to ensure he leads from the manner what he exhibits and shows, he expects that from the players.
“He’s also there to ensure he can help the players along in that captaincy role. It’s great to see him develop into a really fine captain.”
