Consecutive pre-seasons hampered by injury have taught Craig Goodwin to show patience in rehabilitation – and this time around, the Adelaide United winger is reaping the rewards from his altered approach to recovery.
Now, after making two bench appearances to start the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign, the Socceroos’ World Cup aspirant feels “fully-fit” and ready to push for his first start of the season this Sunday afternoon against Sydney FC.
Joining Melbourne Victory forward Chris Ikonomidis on former A-Leagues defender Robbie Cornthwaite’s brand-new KEEPUP podcast The Players Pod, Goodwin outlined how the frustrations of a syndesmosis injury which cut his 2020-21 A-League Men campaign short led to a more patient approach throughout the off-season just gone to recover from osteitis pubis and push for a Socceroos spot at next month’s FIFA Men’s World Cup.
In season 2022-23, you can listen to Robbie weekly on his new KEEPUP podcast – The Players Pod, with Robbie Cornthwaite. He chats to Chris Ikonomidis and and Craig Goodwin for the debut episode. Listen below or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“For me, back-end of not the season just gone, but the one before, I injured myself going into the finals series, I ruptured my syndesmosis,” Goodwin reflected on The Players Pod.
“Coming back for pre-season for the beginning of last season I tried to rush it, thinking: ‘I need to get back in the team, I need to be playing… I don’t want to be out for the start of the season and missing games, I need to push myself to get this right’. I pushed myself too early and got shin splints. So I was out for another two or three weeks in that pre-season, and ended up only having a two-week pre-season.
“I learnt from that, potentially knowing what this injury was: an overload and the bone stress as well…. for me it was leaving it to settle enough that I could then start to build it up.
“It was a bit (of a race) against the clock to get me up and running for games at the start of the season; I guess that was the benchmark, to be ready to be playing games at the start of the season. I’ve hit that point, and now my body is feeling good.
I’m getting treatment on it to keep everything ticking over, but I’m fully fit and fully ready to go. Hopefully this weekend against Sydney I can play 90 minutes.
Goodwin made three 30-minute cameo appearances for Adelaide to begin the 2021-22 campaign whilst recovering from his syndesmosis injury. But this time around, he’s in line to start in Round 3 after one 30-minute outing, and an hour-long runout in Round 2.
Goodwin is one of many A-League Men stars looking to use the beginning of the season as a springboard toward the World Cup. A lighting start to the domestic campaign could be the difference for the likes of Goodwin, with Socceroos boss Graham Arnold yet to finalise his 26-player squad bound for Qatar.
Both Goodwin and Victory’s Ikonomidis – who is preparing for Victory’s Melbourne Derby bout with Melbourne City on Saturday night – were asked by Cornthwaite: “How do you think you sit at the moment in the makeup of this squad? What do you think your chances are?”
“It’s a good question,” Goodwin responded. “Obviously if you’d asked me after a fully-fit pre-season I’d say I feel confident of performing well in the league and putting myself in a good position.
“Thankfully I’ve been able to get myself fit enough in time for the start of the season and now it’s about getting as many minutes as possible – and from those minutes just producing as much as I can for the team and helping Adelaide with either goals or assists, and trying to pick up as many points.
“I think for myself, for Chris, for a lot of the players – it’s a tense period in terms of vying for selection.
“Chris will know as well: you’re never safe in your role in the Socceroos, so whoever is in that setup will be pushing themselves, trying to do the best they can in the performances they have before the World Cup to put themselves up for selection.”
Iknomidis echoed Goodwin’s sentiment: “I think Craig summed it up perfectly from a mentality point of view. Every player has the little hurdles, you might have a few niggles early on in the season. Last season I had some hamstring problems that were bothering me. It think timing is everything in football, and I think players like myself, Craig and many others will just try and get a consistent run of good games.
“Like Craig said, you’ve got to focus on club first and playing (well) here and winning games and points. If it’s meant to be, then that will translate to other people in the Socceroos setup selecting you, and having their opinions of you (shaped) in a positive way.”
Iknomidis is yet to start for Victory this season; he’s currently stuck behind Ben Folami and Luis Nani who have started in Tony Popovic’s two wide positions in Rounds 1 and 2, despite notching a goal and assist off the bench in Victory’s season opener against Sydney FC.
“You mentioned timing – last season you didn’t actually score for Melbourne Victory during the regular season,” Cornthwaite said. “You mentioned your hamstring injuries, do you think the timing could be right for you? You’ve hit the ground running with a goal and assist in the Big Blue.”
“Yeah, for me now it was really important to have a good, solid pre-season, which I had,” Ikonomidis answered. “I had loads of games and I didn’t miss one session, so I’m feeling back to my fitness where it should be.
The body is finally working the way it should. I’m feeling really good, and really confident. I’m obviously just trying to start the season really well with Victory.
