CHRISTIAN Petracca has evolved in front of our eyes over the past two seasons, becoming one of the superior midfielders in the competition.

And there is no one prouder of the No.2 draft pick’s development than his senior coach, Simon Goodwin.

“Christian came in as a really highly talented young player and what he didn’t know, he didn’t know the level of training required to be a good player,” Goodwin said.

“A lot of things had come easy to Christian over a period of time and what he quickly picked up after a couple of years was you actually need to work really hard.

“You need to become an elite trainer, you need to become an elite preparer, you need to get your fitness levels to a position where you can execute what you want, and Christian really embraced that.

“He also really embraced the challenge of expectation.”

That expectation increased externally after his third-place finish in last year’s Brownlow Medal, but through hard work, Petracca has continued to grow as a footballer and a teammate in 2021.

“We saw Christian evolve from a really young, immature person, to a really mature person with great training habits and a great understanding of how to deal with expectation, and we’re starting to get a product,” Goodwin said.

“That’s been a six-year journey for Christian.

“We’re starting to get the best of Christian.”

Goodwin has been a mentor for Petracca on that journey, sharing a special bond with the 25-year-old.

“It’s been a really rewarding experience for me – it brings a smile to my face,” Goodwin said.

“I’ve got a father-son type relationship with him.

“I’m really proud of how he’s gone about his life and how he’s evolved as a person and we’re going to see the best of Christian for a long time to come.”