Goodwin played a key role in Vince’s meteoric rise to elite midfielder last season, encouraging the 24-year-old to work harder and deliver on the potential he showed as a junior playing for the Curramulka-Minlaton-Stansbury Crows at home on the Yorke Peninsula.
Now Goodwin is trying to guide his protégé through the next stage of his AFL career.
Vince has attracted the attention of opposition taggers, including Port Adelaide stopper Kane Cornes and Sydney Swans veteran Brett Kirk this season.
The Crows' reigning best and fairest winner is averaging just two fewer disposals (25) this season compared to last year, but has been forced to go as far as half-back for his touches.
Vince said the extra attention had prompted a change in his mindset going into games.
“Being tagged is something I haven’t had to deal with in the past too much, but I’m starting to get used to it. I’m finding different ways to handle it and ways to still have an impact in the game,” Vince said.
“It’s not all about you when you’re getting tagged and it’s not just about getting a heap of the footy. It’s also about doing the little things that a lot of people don’t notice from the outside.
“It just might be you dragging your man out of the space and allowing one of your teammates to pop in there because you know your man is going to follow you. We still get a scoring opportunity out of that even though I haven’t touched the footy.”
Goodwin, a five-time All-Australian, is no stranger to being tagged either.
Vince said the dual premiership player had been trying to prepare him for the next step in his development since day one of pre-season training.
“We expected that I was going to get a bit more attention this season, so in the game-simulation drills over the pre-season we practised with taggers coming to me,” Vince said.
“I still work pretty closely with Goody and he was the main driver behind that tagging practice over the pre-season. Sometimes it would be him that would come and tag me.
“He’d act like a tagger; hang on to me and annoy the hell out of me, but I’ve certainly developed some good tools from what he’s taught me.”
