If you ordered half a dozen utility players and only Josh Searl showed up, you’d sign and
accept delivery.
Born in Queensland with a non-football mitochondrial DNA, Josh was parked at the Cattery by
Dad Tim 20 years ago, and told not to wander too far. He didn’t and hasn’t.
Josh is a skilful clever footballer with instinct to match. He has been used in the back and
forward pockets, in the middle, and given a roving commission around the ground. He has
sure hands, an ability to adjust in the air for purposes of receipt or disposal, and a right leg
that finds targets be they team mates or vertical erections. He can break and or set up a play
with a handball and is second to none at initiating, linking and polishing off a transition play
up the lines or making a switch. Josh uses his body shape to best advantage and his instincts
to position himself, and when required, to control the ball both inside and out, paddling along
the ground or juggling in the air. He plays with a rhythm and style that probably comes from
Mum (Kris is an accomplished singing teacher), and can be almost metronomic, make
wonderful entrances, or appear at will when least expected. And when he is consistent as in
2010 and 2014, he is a barometer of our side’s performance.
Josh put together seasons, some multiple, in the under 8s through to the under 16s. He
played in 3 winning Grand Finals, in the under 11s, under 12s and under 16s. And while he
has perfect recall of all three, it is in the best tradition of a Broadie player to salivate at the
under 16 defeat of the darkside Southport, that sticks best. Apparently no one gave Broadie a
hope, but Josh, in his 200th game as a junior, and the likes of Quickie took on the sharks and
knocked ‘em over on their own dung heap. The Junior years of defeat and glory have
provided Josh with lifelong friends in Liam Frawley, Squiz, Ryan Dienjes, and Quickie to name
but a few.
His Colt years were spent across the under 18s, Twos and Seniors. In 2008 he polled 17
votes and finished equal 12th in the Under 18s B&F (the lads won all but 3 games that year,
unfortunately the 3 included the Grand Final), and also picked up 6 votes in the Reserves
B&F. And in that same year, aged 18, debuted in the seniors coached by Shaun Hart. In 2009
Josh had 9 games in each of the Reserves and Seniors and finished equal 6th in the Reserves
B&F while strangely not bothering the judges in the Seniors under Adrian Smith.
2010 was the break out year. Joshy played all 18 games in the Ones under Smithy and in
great company. Six seniors played rep footy that year: Tinka, Darrin Stewart, Jesse Derrick,
Michael Cooke, Quickie and Searly. (Josh and Quickie played in the Under 21 side) Josh’s
season was played in rarefied air and he ran third in the B&F with 19 votes behind a couple
of fair performers in Tinka (now a B&F winner at the Lions) and Jesse Derrick (centurion at
Broodie and Palmy). He was awarded the Most Improved Trophy and failed to turn up to the
count or hid from the cameras on the evening.
The NEAFL years under Matt Angus (2011 – 13) brought mixed success. Bothered by a groin
and hip Josh was unable to use 2010 as a springboard into the prominence his talents
deserved. In all, he managed 31 games in the seniors and 26 recovery/comeback games in
the Reserves. And to complicate matters a Work Experience stint in Roma, early 2013, meant
he couldn’t participate in the preseason and he does need his fitness to play at peak level.
Josh did however use his time to best effect. In 2011 he played in the Reserves winning
Grand Final and picked up votes in both the Seniors and Reserves B&F counts. In 2012, he
polled well to finish 5th in the Reserves count with 38 votes.
2014 Josh roared back to his very best under Pedro Petterd, again in good company. We had
3 Syd Guilford nominations for that season (Tales, Brayde Palmer and Nick Scott) and 2
Rising Star nominees (The Hawk and Connor Riley). Tales also won the Ray Hughson Medal
and was selected in the QAFL side of the year. Josh played 17 home and away games,
missing the final round against Labrador for a wedding – we put that down to the
mitochondrial DNA – and the Elimination Final. Kicked 21 goals, racked up another Rep
game, took home the Cats Claw Award, and in a dramatic finish to the vote count – the only
player and a fair bet to get up in the last round was Tales - Josh finished 2 votes ahead. We
believe he is the only Broadbeach Junior to play through and win a Senior B&F.
2015 repeated the curse of injury following a
successful year when he did a knee in the pre
season and became a pest under the coaches
box, and in the back of Scotty’s primary school
classes. (We are told that he was sent home
one day because he couldn’t answer the
questions.) Eventually after a couple in the
Reserves to test out the knee, Josh made 10
senior appearances (under Doc Andrews,
Pedro having retired early season), gathering
14 votes in the B&F count, and was a cog in
the back half of the season that saw us play in
the finals. This season Josh missed the
opening round but has been there ever since
trying to add to his 13 goals and hoping to
rally the drastically depleted troops for yet
another tilt at finals footy.
A civil engineer graduate from Griffith whose ambition in life in 2013 was to complete his uni
studies, Josh has a healthy appetite for food and life. Ambition presently means home
ownership and club success on the footy field with a personal goal to play for at least another
5 years to become Broadbeach’s first double centurion QAFL player. Let’s hope he reaches
that target in standard time as against watching mates from the sidelines add to their
milestones ahead of a deserving Broadbeach stalwart. Congratulations on the 100 Josh.
Josh Searl, Broadbeach Australian Football Club: 100 Senior games (69 QAFL and 31 NEAFL)
and 58 goals; 28 Reserves games and 25 goals; 50 (est.) Under 18s/Colts games; and 200
Junior games