Joshua Brindell-South is living out his childhood ambitions of playing professional football with the Brisbane Roar.
The 30-year-old defender, who remembers being a club foundation member with his family, credits his success to a positive disposition and commitment to his craft.
“For me growing up it was always a case of wanting to play for the Roar eventually, to be able to do that was a dream come true,” Brindell-South said.
“From a young age I was never in the top age groups or divisions, but it was instilled in me that if I wanted to achieve something in the game, I had to believe in myself and do it that way.
“It shows that hard work does pay off and if you never give up, you never know what can happen.”
Starting his Izuzu UTE A-League career with New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix, Brindell-South said his determination would prove essential when injury threatened to derail his hopes.
On day three of trials for Wellington Phoenix, Brindell-South tore his adductor, threatening his chance to impress then coach Ernie Merrick.
It wasn’t the best timing for the then 20-year-old but Merrick allowed him to rehabilitate before a second trial.
“It was one of those ones where you look at it and you think that it might not work out for you the way you hoped,” he said.
“But again, I took it day by day, worked hard, and hung in there and in the end it all worked out for the best.”
Following his time with the Phoenix side, Brindell-South received the call-up to join the Roar for the 2020/21 season under Head Coach Warren Moon, whom he had worked with in the National Premier League.
He would go on to make his debut for the Roar in their Round 7 win against Melbourne Victory, coming on to the field as a substitute for Jordan Courtney-Perkins.
Since then the former North Pine junior has gone on to make 38 appearances for his boyhood club, including scoring three goals.
His most recent goal was a screamer in his side’s 3-1 win over Sydney FC. Brindell-South said the stars aligned to provide a picture-perfect shot.
“Honestly, after it had gone in I had no idea what was going through my head, but leading up to it, when Jay [O’Shea] laid it out, it just came to me nicely,” he said.
“I had a bit of time and space and I’m pretty sure everyone in the crowd was yelling out ‘shoot’!
“We were on the back foot during that point of the game so it was one of those ones where I thought I might as well have a hit and see what can happen and it all worked out for the best.”
After helping his side to the first win of the season, Brindell-South continued to push himself at training during the World Cup break.
However, just over a fortnight ago he faced a scary situation when his partner of seven years was rushed to hospital.
“Two and a half weeks ago now my partner was making dinner, I was upstairs when she called out to me and didn’t really sound like herself,” he explained.
“I ended up taking her to the emergency department, it turned out she had a stroke.
“She spent the week in the hospital getting tests done, she’s come out the other side now which is good, but just a very scary period in both our lives and not something you would expect for someone so young.”
Brindell-South made the decision to take personal leave to support his partner throughout this period.
Back at training, Brindell-South is putting his best foot forward in the hopes of working himself into the Roar’s strong defensive setup.
The Roar have the equal best defensive record in the competition with just six goals conceded this season – alongside league leaders Melbourne City.
“For me it’s about working hard at training and if I get the chance hopefully, I can do well,” he said.
The Brisbane Roar will face Western United at AAMI Park on Friday 30 December from 6:45pm AEST. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
