This weekend the Club celebrates Josh Mott’s 150th open-age game for the Pennant Hills Demons.
Originally from Perth, as a child Josh had always watched AFL on the TV and supported the West Coast Eagles, but for some reason he chose to play soccer instead, until he was around 10 years old. When his family moved to Sydney in year 2000, he was forced to leave his soccer team in Perth, and Josh figured that he might just as well give another footy code a go, and joined the U/11’s at Westbrook Juniors. Westbrook club records show that he played 69 games for the club and kicked 63 goals. In his last season in the U/16s, he kicked 39 goals, including a season’s best of 9 goals in one match.
Josh’s U/16 coach, Peter Carter, aptly described his footy abilities thus, “… he has developed into a very good leading full forward ... uses his body well in a contested ball situation. Good accurate kick on both sides of his body and is a strong overhead mark.”
All these qualities Motters brought to the senior club when he graduated to the Under 18 Devils in 2006. There were two under-age teams in 2006 and 2007, and the Devils side was the development squad in those days. In 2006, the team finished first in the H&A but failed to make the Grand Final that was won by second placed Balmain. Josh polled equal 4th in the team’s B&F but missed out on any awards. Josh thinks he was in and out of both sides, Demons and Devils, during 2007. He played 28 under-age games over two seasons, then gave footy away before making his first serious return in 2010.
Josh admits that “whilst I’ve always loved playing footy, it was never my number one priority. In 2013, I came back to the footy club more permanently and played one of my better years. I was a bit fitter and a fair bit slimmer in those days and played most of the year in the midfield. I remember in my last game of the year I kicked 5 from the midfield and then went to Europe in July for the rest of the season and missed out on the 2013 Division 4 flag. I’ve played every year since, predominately in the 3rds with a handful of games in the Reserves (11 games in 2014). 2016 was “the One that got away”; to only lose 1 game in the H&A season, but to lose the granny still hurts. I think that was the best chance I’ll probably have of winning a flag, but I’m still hopeful of winning one before my playing days are over.”
A right footer, all throughout juniors Josh played in the ruck, but stopped growing when he was 16, and progressively moved closer to the goal square where he is now best known as a forward. As to on-field leadership roles, he was captain of 3rd grade in 2017, before famously turning his ankle before the toss of the coin midway through the season and sat out the rest of the year. That was the Round 10 twilight match against the eventual Division Two premiers, North Shore, on a muddy Mortgage Choice Oval.
Coincidentally, on the same ground the previous week, Nick Eynaud twisted his ankle in warm-up for Premier Division and had to withdraw from the match. His place was taken by the ‘’Accidental Debutante”, Craig Maynard, who was fortuitously at the ground as a spectator, although he had been picked to play with Division One later in the day. The match ended in a draw with Kieren Briggs starring for the Demons in only his second run with the first grade side. He was best on ground for Penno and his effort was rewarded with a Rising Star nomination for Round 10.
Since 2018, Motters has played mainly in lower grades, fourths & fifths, where he brings his 14 years of experience and serves as a role-model to the vast numbers of men, both young and older, new to the code and the club. It’s an understatement that Josh loves kicking goals. He’s kicked 179 career goals (and counting) at Penno with a best of 43 goals for the MD3 team in 2016. Josh was the MD3 leading goalkicker in 2015 with 23 goals. He was third grade Best Team Man in 2016, won the Coach’s Award in 2015 and was Most Consistent in 2010.
He missed playing in 2020 after fracturing his leg in pre-season training before CoVid cut the season short.
For career highlights…
“As a player, 2016 was a lot of fun but ultimately disappointing not to win the GF. Memorable moments … there are two that stand out right away and both involve flags won be this great Club. The first … being in the crowd behind the goals for the 2015 GF. Knowing in the last quarter that we had won the unwinnable against the arch rivals and we could just enjoy the last 5 mins … was just awesome! The only moment that topped this, was the siren going for the 2017 GF. The photo of Bob Murphy when the siren went in the 2016 AFL Grand Final stands out for me as the epitome of how it must feel winning a Grand Final [on the biggest stage]. Being there when we again beat the unbeatable opposition in such a tight game, after the [roller-coaster] season we had, was a good as it gets. The photos of our crowd when the siren goes was our version of the Bob Murphy moment and they are the best photos we have as a club in my opinion. I was there [at the MCG] in 2006 when West Coast won the GF, but [Pennant Hills] in 2017 just tops it for me!”
Josh was Club President 2017 - 2019. During his tenure the Club grew from six to nine teams, including 3 women’s teams, and won three premiership flags. Here’s what Josh said about the Club and his former role as President:
“I truly believe when it comes to club culture and environment, Pennant Hills footy club is unrivalled and to be a part of that, in a very small way, does bring me a lot of pride and joy. Being President though has been very fortunate for myself, as it has given me much more than I’ve given it. [It’s allowed me to develop my leadership skills and understand what it takes to run what is, in essence, a small business.] I will never be known as the loud extrovert [I think Josh was alluding to Phil Hare, Josh’s charismatic predecessor? – Editor], but joining the committee and moving into this role forced me out of thinking of the footy club as just a placeyou spend a couple of hours on Saturday to play footy. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people, make some good mates and had a lot of laughs in the process, for which I am forever grateful!”
If asked a few years ago where his footy career would take him, I don’t think Josh would have imagined himself as the Club President of the Pennant Hills Demons football club, one of the most esteemed community clubs in Sydney. He walks in the footsteps of some great football visionaries and administrators who have personally contributed to the greatness of the Club, the likes of Kerry James, Ken MacRae, Lindsay Thomas, Leo Browne, Phillip Hare, and there are many others.
In his own words, he’s not what you’d call a ’charismatic figurehead’. But rather, Josh has a calm and discerning disposition and brought a steadying influence to the Club’s leadership group. In his role as President he demonstrated his passion for the club and code and also his commitment, in time, energy and ideas, to the betterment of this great football club. His diligence and good judgment have won him the respect of his fellow committee members, the playing group and his peers alike.
We wish him every success in this weekend’s personal milestone and congratulate Motters on reaching 150 games.
Go Penno!
