Goodhue is locked in with Blues

The 21-year-old second row forward played for the New Zealand Under-17 team in 2012 and was part of the successful New Zealand Under-20 side that won the 2015 World Cup.

Blues coach Tana Umaga said the selection of Goodhue is another signal that the organisation is clearly identifying its young prospects and working hard to retain them in the region.

"Josh has been on the radar of our High Performance Manager, Tony Hanks, for some time and I came across him with the New Zealand Under-20s last year. He is big and athletic with a considerable future in the game.

"I'm sure he will develop well inside the Blues environment and able to soak up so much from the likes of Patty Tuipulotu, Steven Luatua and Jerome Kaino," Umaga said.

Umaga said he was also pleased that it also signals that players from Northland do not need to leave the area to further their rugby.

"We have five players from Northland in the Blues this year and another 10 throughout our Development teams," he added.

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