Aggressive. Confident. Composed.

At just 16, the Cooks Hill kid set the A-League alight.

After becoming the youngest player in Jets history, Goodwin double-downed and added the club's youngest goal-scorer to a growing list of records.

And what a strike - a curling shot on the run from 25 metres which curled inside the right post to help seal a 2-1 win over grand finalists Melbourne City.

Goodwin, despite still being in year 11, made clear his desire to become a permanent fixture in the starting side. "That's the aim," the ambitious striker declared.

Three months into the new season and Goodwin is yet to be sighted, hindered by a series of setbacks with his young body.

Coach Arthur Papas remains confident that the rising star can make an impact "at some stage this season" but said the priority was the local product's long-term future.

"Physically, we had to make sure we put a program in place that's not just about playing one season, it's about having a career," Papas said.

"A lot of research went into finding out what's going on with his body because it wasn't exactly where it needed to be and he was breaking down a lot early on.

"But he's bought into that [process], and the family has bought into it because they understand.

"We know how talented he is. Everyone wants to see him make a big impact right now but my preference is to see him play for ten years, not just play for a couple of seasons and his body doesn't allow him to play anymore because he's been subjected to a lot as a very young player.

"It's our responsibility as coaches and high-performance staff to make sure we're giving these players the platform to have a career.

"We need to look after our young talents and not just expose them ... Hopefully it gives him the chance to have the career he could possibly have."

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Goodwin missed two years of football from age 12 with a series of stress fractures, hence the cautious approach.

"I broke my left foot and right foot three times each," Goodwin told the Newcastle Herald in June. "I played eight months in three years from under-12s to 15s. I would come back, play for four weeks and be out again."

The recent issues are understood to have coincided with another growth spurt.

However, he has been back in full training for a month.

"Every player wants to play," Papas said. "That is what they do it for.

"It is our responsibility to make sure we are giving these players the platform to have a career and not just another game.

"I know he made a huge impact at the back-end of last season and I think he can still do that again at some stage this season. But the main thing is we prepare him for his career in football, not just a season."

Unlike last season, the Jets haven't struggled for goals.

Georgian import Beqa Mikeltadze had seven in eight games before last night's clash with Melbourne City and Valentino Yuel has netted four.

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