The captain’s armband and leadership. It’s not for everyone, but Craig Goodwin has immersed himself in that role and it’s having a profound impact on those around him.
Look no further than Adelaide United prodigy Nestory Irankunda.
The 17-year-old sensation scored for the third game running as second-placed Adelaide United flexed their muscles in a 4-2 win over Newcastle Jets in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Saturday night.
It was another moment of magic from Irankunda, who has scored all four of his goals this season off the bench as his star continues to shine amid growing calls for a Socceroos call-up.
But for all of his undeniable talent, Adelaide have wrapped their starlet in cotton wool. Reluctant to overuse him, while trying to get him up to speed with the demands of professional football, on and off the field. Improvement in terms of performance and attitude were needed at the start of the season.
Step forward skipper and Socceroos star Goodwin, who provided an extraordinary insight into his mentoring role after scoring two goals and supplying two assists against the Jets.
“The biggest thing for me and what I say to all the players in the group is to lead by example, and for me I want to lead by example,” he told 10 BOLD post-game after the Reds extended their unbeaten run to nine matches.
“I might not be the loudest on the pitch, although I try to be more and more as I grow into the role.
“It’s about leading by example, doing the right things and actions. Making sure my attitude, effort and intensity cannot be called into question.
“And I hope from that, the other boys see that and want to do the same.
“I talk a lot with the young boys and I talk a lot with Nestor. I give him credit, but I also bring him back down to earth when needed.
“His effort the last two months has been exceptional. I spoke earlier in the year a few times that he needs to do better. His attitude needs to be better, he needs to work harder away from the field and if he does that, he’ll be a completely different player.
“We are seeing that now but not take the attention off him because he deserves it, but you look at the performance of a lot of young players that are coming on consistently for us, they’re playing fantastic.”
There just seems to be no stopping Irankunda this season.
He has been directly involved in five goals in his last six appearances in the A-League Men (four goals, one assist), including one goal in each of his last three games.
Irankunda has also scored seven ALM goals in his career, tying the league record for most goals scored before 18 (level with former Adelaide sensation Mohamed Toure).
“He is a rare talent and we saw again tonight how good he is,” head coach Carl Veart said.
We’re just making sure we look after him and making sure he does the work because he can do the work.
“He is a frightening player.”
Jovanovic’s ‘dream’ night
During his post-match interview, Goodwin highlighted the young quality coming through at Coopers Stadium, aside from Irankunda.
One of those players was Luka Jovanovic, who capped his starting debut with a goal at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The 17-year-old was playing with Adelaide’s NPLM SA side last month, kicking off the season with a four-goal haul in the opening round on February 18.
Fast forward 21 days and Jovanovic was the beneficiary of another Goodwin assist – his eighth of the campaign, to open his Isuzu UTE A-League account.
“It feels good. All the boys got around me,” Jovanovic, who came off the bench in Round 19, told 10 BOLD.
“It’s my dream to score my first professional goal.”
For the finals-chasing Jets, it was a third straight loss as their top-six hopes were dealt a blow.
Having gone on a six-game unbeaten run, Newcastle are now faltering in their bid to reach the finals for the first time since 2017-18.
The Jets are seventh in the standings and three points adrift.
“I don’t think we were in it to be honest,” head coach Arthur Papas – the February Coach of the Month – said candidly.
“They’re deserved winners. Clinical when they went forward. We lacked discipline.
“They punished us. If you’re conceding four goals, it’s going to be a tough game to win.”
Report – AAP
A standout performance from Craig Goodwin and strike from teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda lifted Adelaide United to a 4-2 win over Newcastle Jets.
Opening the scoring before setting up Zach Clough and Luka Jovanovic’s second and third at McDonald Jones Stadium, Goodwin helped the Reds take a 3-2 lead from a frenetic first half that also featured Jason Hoffman and Angus Thurgate on the scoresheet.
But just as the hosts appeared to be improving on a flat first half, Irankunda thundered in his third goal in as many games to kill off their comeback hopes on Saturday night and consign them to a third straight defeat.
The 17-year-old now has seven goals this season as a lethal weapon off the bench for Carl Veart’s side, who moved into second place on the ALM table with the win.
The Reds are now nine games unbeaten in league play, their best run since their title-winning campaign of 2015-16.
The Jets, meanwhile, remain in seventh and missed the opportunity to close the gap on the play-off places, with three teams behind them all within three points.
Goodwin got the ball rolling in the 12th minute when he sent a second attempt on goal inside the far post.
Two minutes later the Socceroo cut the ball back for a point-blank Clough finish, only for Hoffman to peg one back moments later.
Getting out in transition, Goodwin got his second assist of the evening in the 44th when he set up Jovanovic for a maiden ALM goal but the Jets again responded, this time through Thurgate, minutes later.
But then Irankunda, introduced at the halftime break, made his mark when he broke down the right in the 65th and lasered a shot into the Jets’ net.
