JETS coach Arthur Papas expects teenage sensation Archie Goodwin to play a major role in the A-League next season and believes there is no ceiling to how far the instinctive striker can go.
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In a major coup, Goodwin has signed a three-year deal with his home-town club, who beat off interest from the Brisbane Roar.
"Archie has an energy about him and a confidence within," Papas said. "The biggest thing - which is hard to teach - is that he knows where the back of the net is. That is his best attribute and that is the hardest to develop.
"There are a lot of other things to work on. I see him being an important part of the team for sure.
"I have had discussions with Archie around what the squad will look like. He will be in a position to earn a spot based on the way he trains and applies himself."
Goodwin started in the Jets academy in the under-9s and is the first player to graduate from the program and go on to sign a senior deal.
Angus Thurgate moved to Newcastle in his mid-teens.
"It is fantastic to see a player who has been with our academy all the way through to now be a professional player in the A-League," Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske said. "We are a club that represents this region and we want players that represent the region in the club.
"Archie is exactly that type of player and the ambition is to develop more young players.
"He is a player we know all Newcastle Jets fans are excited about.
"Developing talented young players from our own region is a core focus of the club moving forward."
Still only 17, Goodwin became the youngest player to net a double in A-League history with a match-winning brace in a 2-0 win over Sydney in March.
He added another goal against the Mariners in the final round in a campaign restricted to just eight appearances for a total of 169 minutes due to a series of injury setbacks.
The club's medical and conditioning staff have worked hard to get Goodwin's growing body in shape to cope with the rigours of professional football.
"On arriving here [this season], I could see the talent," Papas said. "The amount of times he broke down early on was really concerning.
"It's a credit to him, credit to his family, credit to the staff for the work that has gone into him. Hopefully that puts him in good stead to build on the back end of this year and into next season."
Goodwin will be 20 at the end of his new contract. By that stage Papas hopes he is ready to take the next step.
"He has entered professional football at a really young age," the coach said. "A lot will be down to him and the attitude he has towards wanting to be a professional footballer at the highest level.
"That is more than just what happen on the field. A lot of that is off the field.
"How quickly he matures in that aspect and how he embraces the expectation that has build around him.
"At this age, there is no ceiling on him."
Thurgate, Jason Hoffman and Noah James are the other home-grown players contracted for next season.
"It is really important that when you do develop a young player that comes from the local community that they take precedence," Papas said.
"That is something from our side that we have been strong about. If the talent is there we want to be staying inside the community."
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James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
