Having had a stint in pre-season with Liverpool when he was 15, Duncan can see the differences between the development pathways here and in leading European footballing nations.
''Their youth setup is very professional, a lot more established. Their football and education is kind of integrated, whereas over here it's a bit more disjointed in that regard. But we're slowly building up more professionally over here, especially lately at the Jets.
''This season we've had a couple of youth league players drop back and that really motivates the rest of the team.
''It lets the boys see that there are opportunities if you work hard enough and want them desperately enough,'' Duncan said.
Duncan made his international debut with the Australian under-19 Young Socceroos side that topped their group in qualifying for next year's AFC Championship, figuring in his side's 4-1 and 3-0 victories over Indonesia and China respectively.
''It been my first opportunity to go away with the national team in any capacity, so to get into the squad and then to get some game time was very pleasing,'' Duncan said.
''I found it very professional, with a very high intensity. The quality of players was of a high standard.''
Deans, who was promoted to the senior coaching staff following the sacking of Branko Culina, believes the young keeper has extraordinary talent that needs to be developed.
''His shot-stopping, athleticism and reflexes are really outstanding but he still has a long way to go.'' Deans said. ''He's got to work on his footwork for the type of football that we play, he's got to be comfortable on the ball and be able to play out from the back.
''He's also really committed, which is something we want to see.''
While Duncan's determination to succeed in football is paramount, he is thankful for the role AFL played in the development of his handling skills.
''I crossed over to goalkeeping using the skills I acquired from footy. There were some natural instincts there that I had developed,'' Duncan said. ''Mum always said that as a kid I always had a ball in my hand. I just needed to decide which one I wanted to play with.''
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