He began his career at Wandin, which recruited him after he attended a wedding at the club.
[2] The following year he had a stint at Box Hill, then made it into the seniors at Richmond.
He spent five seasons with Richmond and then joined Melbourne, via the 1992 Pre-season Draft.
[3][4] After two seasons at Melbourne, Goodwin moved to Tasmania, appointed playing coach of Devonport.
Following another brief stint at Devonport, Goodwin returned to Wandin, where he played until the age of 39, retiring after suffering a 22nd broken nose.