Griffiths: Joel Michael (Joel)

2006-2006 (Player Details)

Right Midfield

Born: Sydney, Australia: 21-04-1979

Debut v Stoke City (h) (substitute): 25-03-2006

6’0” 11st 11lb (2005)

Starting in Australia his previous clubs were Sydney United, Parramatta Power and Newcastle United in the now defunct NSL. He represented Australia at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria in 1999. Griffiths made his debut for the full national team on 9th October 2005 against Jamaica, scoring a goal before celebrating by hopping up and down like a Kangaroo. This was Australia's final warm up match before their World Cup qualifier playoff match against Uruguay. He played in Switzerland with Neuchatel Xamax, before signing for Leeds. Griffiths signed a one-and-a-half year deal with the Championship side on 17th January 2006, after trialing with the club for a week and impressing manager Kevin Blackwell enough to offer him a contract. The club and Griffiths had to wait for an international clearance from his former Swiss club Neuchatel Xamax. He only managed two substitute appearances for Leeds and Griffiths attributed the lack of first team football to the perceived animosity from ex-Leeds manager Kevin Blackwell who only provided "non stop criticism". This also impacted on his chances of playing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which Australia qualified for after beating Uraguay on penalties. In January 2008, he was named in the twenty-two-man Socceroos squad for the training camp at Sydney. He left Leeds on 31st July 2006 and joined Newcastle Jets in the A-League. He had a good first season back in Newcastle being the Members’ choice as Player of the Year and scored seven gosals in twenty-one starts. In the 2007-08 Joel's twin brother Adam Griffiths joined the team. With the loss of key attacking players such as Nick Carle, Milton Rodriguez and Vaughan Coveny, Griffiths became the key to the Jets attack throughout the season. Griffiths was in career best form for much of the season. He scored two stunning goals against Melbourne Victory and this saw him called into the training squad for the A-League based Socceroos. Unfortunately he had to withdraw due to injury. At the end of his outstanding season he had scored fourteen goals in twenty-three starts, which won him the A-League Golden Boot award. Newcastle Jets finished second on goal difference at the end of the season, but went on to win the Grand Final. Griffiths won the Johnny Warren Medal for best player, the Newcastle Jets player of the year award and the Newcastle Jets Members' Player of the Year award (for the second successive year) for the 2007-08 season, as well as the Golden Boot award. He scored seven goals in fifteen starts and one substitute appearance in the 2008-09 season and Griffiths was to become the Newcastle million dollar man, and play as a marquee player. However the move was cancelled, with Griffiths joining brother Ryan at Chinese club Beijing Guoan on a year's loan. In July 2009 Griffiths cast doubt on his return to Newcastle as he was being paid A$700,000 a season with the Chinese side, whereas he would get A$350,000 with Newcastle. Griffiths had made a good start in China where he was the club's leading goalscorer with five goals in nine games and was part of the team that won the Chinese Super-League Championship, but his season was marred by a succession of suspensions. He was due to return to Newcastle in January 2010 but did not favour returning and suggested he could go to Dubai or Saudi Arabia if there was no interest from China. Griffiths still had two seasons left on his contract after the 2009-10 season finished and Beijing Guoan had until November 2009 to exercise its option. They paid Newcastle A$500,000 for the one year loan and had the right to buy out the remaining two years of Griffiths' contract. Newcastle put a transfer fee of A$1 million on Griffiths. On 19th January 2010, Griffiths signed permanently for Beijing Guoan for an undisclosed fee. His brother, Adam, played for Bournemouth and Brentford after also being with Watford and joined him at Newcastle Jets.