It's a big call, given the 29-year-old has only played seven games for the Roos, but his impact since joining the club has been immense.

Garland has been voted Yackandandah's best in four of those outings and polled highly in two others.

"He's one of the most impressive footballers I've ever seen at the club," assistant coach Marcus Dowling said.

"I've been at the club since 1995 and he's one of the most coachable players I've seen. He's so humble but come game day, when he crosses that white line, he gives you everything.

"The ball doesn't seem to get around him, he reads it very well and it's just his ability to bring other people into the game. It's not just about Josh, it's about team success and he does everything he can to get everyone else involved.

"He leads by example, puts his head over the footy and it hardly ever gets past him."

Talks hadn't led anywhere in previous years but the club stayed in contact and when Garland's wife, netballer Jessica, left Albury to rejoin the Roos, it felt like the perfect move.

"We've got a little girl now, Elsie, so if we were playing at different clubs on the weekend, it would just be another day that we'd go our separate ways," Garland said.

"I didn't want to miss out on that so family was a big part of it.

"Beechworth was home for a long time, I was born and raised there and then I went down to Glenrowan for a couple of years.

"It's always interesting coming into a new team but they were very welcoming here and made the girls feel part of it from day dot.

"It was a tough decision to start with, playing in the same league as my home club, but they've made it as easy as possible."

Garland was quick to praise his team-mates for their role in his flying start at Yackandandah.

"The first six rounds were nice, just to find a spot in the team," he said.

"When you've got some good footballers around you, blokes like Ben McIntosh and Justin Maybury, in the guts as the big ruck, it makes your football easier.

"The coaches have just asked me to go out and play football, to enjoy it and try to play my role when I can, playing off half-back flank, to be accountable, two-way running and to set up structures when you need to.

"That was the big thing at the start of the season. It drops away in some games - we've have some wild quarters - but we pick it back up."

ALSO IN SPORT:

Garland's football is only part of his appeal.

"He's such a quality bloke too," Dowling said. "You get him on the footy field and you get him off it as well. Everyone wants to know him and he's been a fantastic find for the club."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: