This weekend the Club celebrates Michael Carroll’s 100th open-age game for the Pennant Hills Demons.
Apart from a half-time run with Auskick at Ern Holmes Oval when he was only 5 years old, Mikey’s footy journey started in 2008 playing Under 10s for Penno Juniors. He was at the juniors for 8 seasons, played 132 games and won premierships in the Under 14s (2013) and Under 17s in 2015.
Mikey’s last game in junior footy was a Grand Final victory on 6 September 2015 at Macquarie University Oval. Playing with the Penno Demons Under 17 Division 1 side, the team had dominated the Sydney Harbour U17 Division 1 competition, finished minor premiers and were runaway winners in the Grand Final, beating East Sydney by 89 pts.
Also in 2015, Mikey won the Kieren Jack Medal for Best & Fairest player in the U17 Division 1 competition. In the Hornsby Advocate of 17 September 2015, the headline read, “Humble Carroll earns top award … Runaway Winner in the Under 17 Div
A very talented youth player, Mikey was a member of the Swans Academy (2013 – 2018) and the NSW Rams U16 program in 2015 and was selected to play in the Allies team against Vic Metro in the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships. A right footer, Mikey was a ruckman in the juniors, then debuted at Penno as a forward but has now spent most of his career as key defender, Centre Half Back.
At age 16, Mikey played his first game with the Penno Under19s in 2015, under coach Todd Williams. By 2017 Mikey had ambitions to play a higher level of football. He played 7 games with the Sydney Swans NEAFL side in 2017/18. In 2019, he left Penno to play with the Sydney University NEAFL side, playing 19 games as a key defender. Then CoVid struck and the NEAFL program was shut down.
Mikey made his first grade debut in Round 6, 2017 against UTS Bats at Waverley Oval. Penno won by 61 pts and Mikey kicked 2 goals. Mikey was a member of the 2017 Premier Division premiership side, playing alongside future GWS Giants Kieren Briggs and James Peatling (now at Adelaide Crows). 2017 was remarkable season for Pennant Hills. Winning its fifth Premier Division flag from fifth spot on the ladder, after what can only be described as a lacklustre start to the season. The Demons final run into the finals, four wins and a draw, and then four back-to-back finals victories over increasingly competitive opponents, makes season 2017 one of the Club’s best ever.
After his stint at Sydney University and the CoVid interruption, Mikey returned to the Club in 2020 and has played the majority of his footy in the senior side for Penno and now has heaps of experience in the top grade. He was Pennant Hills Footballer of the Year last season 2024. Still only 26 years old, his experience and obvious leadership qualities, makes him an ideal candidate for the team leadership group since 2021. Mikey is at the forefront of a new generation of Penno players coming through the ranks after the retirement of many of the club’s renowned veterans who had hundreds of games experience and loads of finals experience as well. The average age of the current playing group is in the mid-20s and there are also a number of players still in their teens.
The 2017 flag is a career highlight for Mikey. He rates Ranga Ediriwickrama, the ‘Banker from Sri Lanka’, the best Demon he’s played with. Mikey is an elite player and his outstanding talent and ability will be important for the Club in the years to come. In recognition of his top class playing ability, Mikey has twice been a Sydney AFL representative player and has been selected in the Sydney AFL Team of the Year on 3 occasions. He also played 3 games with AFL Sydney in the AFL Sydney & AFL Canberra Pre-Season Invitationals in 2025 and 2024.
Congratulations Mikey on achieving this significant milestone!
Go Penno!
