Born and bred in Moriac, Modewarre champion Josh Finch first began playing for the club when he was just seven years old. He went on to play senior football at the premature age of 17 and was made vice-captain of the team 5 years later, where in which he had an eight-year reign.

Despite plans to make the jump to the victorious South Barwon in 2014 during a time when Modewarre were looking to finish low on the ladder, Finch is forever grateful that his loyalty won when a friend encouraged him not to “jump on a train that is already full steam ahead” and to stay at Modewarre and really make a difference. Finch and his team went on to win a premiership only a few years later. Now aged 36, he has remained a one-club player for his entire football career, celebrating his 300^th game this weekend.

Former long-serving Modewarre Club President Michael Fitzgerald describes Finch as a player that is “a true student of the game” and has always been driven to improve. Explaining that he prepares, plays, and recovers more professionally than any country league player that he has come across, Fitzgerald says that there has “never been a lightbulb moment that transformed Josh, he just simply has worked tirelessly to better himself”.

Finch has not only been a captain and a coach during his time at Modewarre but has also always shown interest in the junior selection of the club, including the last 3 years as Auskick coach. To go with his four Les Ash Medal and nine club Best and Fairest awards, Finch has represented Vic Country three times and was part of the BFNL Interleague program on seven occasions. Fitzgerald believes that Finch’s glowing record “speaks for itself, he is simply the best. He has been the most loyal player of not only Modewarre, but of the league in its history.” Solidifying himself as arguably one of the best players to have competed in the BFNL, Finch was also ranked fourth in the 2021 Geelong Advertiser’s “Best 50 Players in the 50 Years of the Bellarine FNL”.

After winning the 2016 Les Ash Medal, Finch acknowledged the achievement as something he will “look back on once his footy career is finished”. He expressed that “there are so many great players in this competition [the BFNL]” and that some of them will never even win an Ash Medal. This emphasises Finch’s understanding of the significance of these awards when it comes to individual success as a community footballer. 

Finch’s long-time friend and teammate, John Meesen, provided AFL Barwon with an insight into Finch’s early days as a Bellarine footballer. Meesen and Finch played all their junior football together but went their separate ways during senior football, where Meesen spent time in the AFL system. When discussing Finch’s early career, Meesen noted that his rise as a Bellarine FNL star only started in his late teens. Explaining that “he wasn’t an elite junior or anything”, Meesen marked Finch's turning point as when he “decided to get super fit around 17-18" and “really began excelling”. This method of hard work combined with desire that Finch began to develop in his late teens became a trademark of his career success. Meesen believes that “what separates him is that desire to get the very best of himself” and that Finch would be the “first to say he got where he is now through hard work and determination rather than God-given talent”.

Meesen ultimately coached Modewarre to Senior Football success when they won the 2018 Bellarine FNL Premiership. Despite always remaining incredibly humble, Meesen expressed that team success has always remained at the forefront for Finch and that the achievement in 2018 was “pretty special for everyone, but none more than him”.

Although Finch’s success is attributed to his immense hard work determination, it also couldn’t have been done without the unwavering support of his children and wife Emma, who also happens to be a talented netballer at Modewarre that Finch met in his teens. The success of the Finch family at Modewarre is something that may not ever be seen again in community sport and is widely admired by the Bellarine FNL community.

Congratulations Josh Finch on an outstanding 300 games!

Authors: Cam Sheehan & Sean Atkinson

Sources:

Michael Fitzgerald, Modewarre Football Netball Former Club President (Interview)

John Meesen, Modewarre Football Netball Club Former Player & Coach (Interview)

Ratcliffe, D. (2019) BFL 2019: Modewarre champ Josh Finch looks back on stellar career, Geelong Advertiser.