In recent years, pundits questioned just who would replace retired stars Mark Ricciuto, Ben Hart and Nathan Bassett and veterans, such as Goodwin, Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards, who are in the twilight of their illustrious careers.
Now the answer is starting to become clearer.
Last year, injuries forced the club to play youngsters like Jarrhan Jacky and Andy Otten before their time.
But Goodwin says the group of impressive second-year players, which also include Taylor Walker, Myke Cook and Patrick Dangerfield, are ready to go this season.
“We’ve got a lot of kids coming through that have performed well, not only at training, but in some pre-season games, which is encouraging for the group,” Goodwin said on Wednesday.
“I think what’s given us great confidence is that the guys coming into the team can perform and we’ve actually got some really good depth coming through in the footy club now.
“I think there’s less of a burden on us as (senior) players to lead by example. I think, as a playing group, we’ve got the depth there to really perform each week and be super competitive.”
Goodwin expected Adelaide to field upwards of three debutants in its season opener against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
Former rookie Jared Petrenko could slot straight into the defensive spot left vacant by Graham Johncock, who will miss the game as he mourns the loss of his mother.
Otten has also impressed in defence and Cook, Jacky and Dangerfield have all showed glimpses up forward and in the midfield throughout the pre-season.
Goodwin encouraged his younger teammates to take in the atmosphere in the first of three games at the MCG this year.
“The MCG is where you want to end up (in the grand final), so it’s going to be a great experience and we’re going to have to value this week,” he said.
“As a player, you should relish those opportunities because they don’t come up all the time. It’s not every day you get to play in front of 60-70,000 people at the MCG in round one.”
Collingwood was responsible for ending Adelaide’s finals campaign last year, but Goodwin maintained the club was not out for revenge.
“We can’t worry about what’s happened in the past,” Goodwin said.
“Obviously, we’re very disappointed with the (elimination final) result, but we’re really focussed on this week and performing well at the MCG.”
Dream Team watch – Jared Petrenko is rated a $86,600 defender in the Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.
