15 years, 200-plus club games and come Saturday afternoon, all-time Tasmanian State League senior games record holder.

It’s been a long journey for the 31 year-old who walked into the four walls of KGV as a wet behind the ears, skinny 16 year-old just hoping to make his mark to now leading the Magpies out of the football wilderness.

But skipping straight to the present time ahead of TSL senior game 238 wouldn’t be doing the career of one of the competition’s most unheralded players the justice it deserves.

A premiership player in 2016, senior captain in 2020 and 2022, Glenorchy life-member and playing senior-coach, Arnold has experienced just about everything a player can across the journey.

And while becoming the most capped player in the competition might be a record that North Launceston coach Brad Cox-Goodyer could break later this season, Arnold was as proud as he was humble to hit the milestone this weekend.

“It’s obviously something you never set out to do but to achieve it and be surrounded by the likes of Jaye Bowden and Jay Blackberry, guys who have previously held that record, is really humbling,” he said.

Making his debut in round 1, 2009 – the first game of the new state league – Arnold went on to play just one more match in his first season after breaking his collarbone in round 3.

He returned to play in Glenorchy’s losing reserves grand final later that year – the club would also be defeated by Clarence in the senior decider – before becoming a staple of the Magpies line-up the following season.

He played 15 games in 2010 followed by another 15 the next year but it wasn’t until the 2012 season that the father of two says he started to feel like he belonged in the line-up.

“Early days it was definitely a hard road being in and out of the side and just trying to break in on a regular basis,” he recalls.

After two elimination final defeats to Lauderdale in 2012 and 2014 – and a sixth-place finish in 2013 – the tide eventually started to turn in 2015 with an all-powerful Magpies side flying their way to consecutive grand final appearances and creating one of the competition’s most storied rivalries with North Launceston.

“Ace (Aaron Cornelius) came in at the end of 2013 for pre-season and things really clicked,” Arnold said.

“He had his leg injury in 2014 and I thought towards the middle part of that year we really started to play some good footy but that hit the group pretty hard. At the same time though, I think it really galvanised us throughout the 2015 pre-season.

“We probably made the rise quicker (that season) than most people thought but after the year we put together we were probably favourites heading in to the grand final. Credit to North Launceston and Zane Littlejohn though, they were a fantastic side.

“That was one that really hurt and was a bitter pill to swallow. So to finally get one (a premiership) in 2016, against the same side, was an amazing feeling. Over that two or three year period the respect both clubs had for each other was massive and we really got up for those games.”

Arnold and the Magpies would go on to play in six more finals between 2017 and 2019 – the best the 2018 qualifying final comeback against Launceston – but they were never quite able to achieve the sustained success that a playing list boasting the names of Jaye Bowden, Rhys Mott, Brayden Webb, Ben Reynolds, Clinton French and Daniel Joseph probably deserved.

And with just seven wins since losing the 2019 semi-final to Launceston, it’s been a tough couple of seasons at the Magpies.

But with the arrival of daughter Grace in 2018, marrying long-time partner Mikhala the same year, and the birth of son Jude in 2020, Arnold said it has allowed him to see the game in a different light.

“It definitely changes your perspective on footy,” Arnold said.

“You are so footy focused but then kids happen and it opens your eyes up to the larger things in life. Since having kids I’ve probably played better footy.

“I wake up every Saturday morning and the kids are excited to come to the footy. They love being in the rooms on game day and it’s an amazing experience to have them involved.

“Mikhala has been there from the start and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have without her. I don’t say that lightly either. She does a lot behind the scenes with the parenting side of things that allows me to be able to play footy at the highest level and now coach so she has been enormous for me.”

It’s been somewhat of a family affair right across the journey for Arnold with younger brother Jordon playing at Glenorchy before moving to Queensland and parents, David and Jane, becoming staples of the club behind the scenes.

“Early on with Mum and Dad throughout underage was massive but even now that’s the same,” he said.

“Both make it to every game, Mum helps cook dinners on Thursday night and Dad is on the board so the footy club is in our blood and has become a second home.

“Jordon was also here so to be able to play with him throughout our most successful period while I’ve been here and cap that off by winning a premiership together is definitely a highlight of my career.”

As the soon to be games record holder, it’s fair to say the no-nonsense defender has come across plenty of good players in his time and while he credits Jaye Bowden, Brayden Webb, Ben Reynolds, Aaron Cornelius and Jessie Crouch as just a handful of former teammates as among the best ever, it’s the opponents he’s had to toil with inside 50 that he remembers just as fondly.

“Brad Cox-Goodyer is right up there. He is just a complete package of a player,” Arnold said.

“Early days it was guys like Sonny Whiting and James Charlesworth but probably the hardest player to match-up on inside 50 was Trent Standen.

“We always used to have big battles and there is probably plenty I’m missing because the competition has had some fantastic players across the journey.”

With just three games to go in the Magpies 2023 campaign, Arnold will likely finish the season on 240 senior TSL games and while Cox-Goodyer may break that record come September, Arnold said he’d be hard pressed to think of another player he’d rather take his crown.

“We’ve played a lot of footy against each other but he is just a fantastic human,” he said.

“He is someone who I immensely respect as a player and coach but also as a person and to be in the same class as him, along with Bowden and Blackberry, is something that is really special to me.”

JOSH ARNOLD CV

Debut: Round 1, 2009, v Launceston at KGV

Games: 237 senior games

Goals: 23

Honors:

TSL senior games record holder – 238

2016 TSL premiership

2x club best and fairest: 2020, 2022

2014-19 vice-captain

senior captain: 2020, 2022

2023 senior coach

2020 TSL Team of the Year