Joshua Nicholas Caddy (born 28 September 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who last played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Gold Coast Football Club from 2011 to 2012, and the Geelong Football Club from 2013 to 2016. Caddy was drafted by Gold Coast with the seventh selection in the 2010 AFL draft after captaining underage football with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup. He was a premiership player with Richmond in both 2017 and 2019.
Junior football Caddy played junior football with Eltham in the Diamond Valley Football League before joining the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup. He played a handful of matches for the Knights in 2009 and went to be captain the club in 13 matches in the 2010 season. He placed second in the club's best and fairest that year. During this time he formed a friendship with Knights teammate and eventual and teammate, Dion Prestia.
In 2010 Caddy represented the Victorian Metropolitan side at the AFL Under 18 Championships after having previously done the same at under 16 level. He played three matches for the tournament, recording averages of 23.7 disposals and 3.3 marks per game. He was awarded All-Australian selection for his stellar performances.
AFL career Gold Coast (2011–2012) 2011 season Caddy was drafted by the Gold Coast Suns with the club's fourth selection and the seventh selection overall in the 2010 AFL draft.
He suffered a navicular bone injury early in the year, and was held back from football duties until late into the club's inaugural season. Caddy made his AFL debut in Round 23 that year, in a losing match against at the MCG. He had 10 disposals, five marks and three tackles in the match. He kicked his first career goal the next week, in his second career match and the Suns' last game of the season.
At the conclusion of the season, it was reported that Caddy was seeking a trade to a Victorian-based club in order to be closer to his father, who was suffering a heart condition. He was linked to in October, after reports emerged that the club had offered Gold Coast a first-round draft selection and two contracted players (Josh Jenkins and one of Scott Gumbleton or Cale Hooker) in exchange for Caddy. Despite AFL-led mediation conducted to help the clubs negotiate, no deal was ultimately struck, and Caddy remained at the Gold Coast after the annual trade period concluded.
2012 season
2012 was a much better season for Caddy, playing in all 22 of the club's matches that year. In the club's Round 15 loss to , he recorded 18 disposals and a team high three goals in the 14 point loss. Despite his personal success, the poor form of the Suns meant Caddy did not play in his first AFL victory until his 17th career match, in Round 16 of the 2012 season. In this match, Caddy won the weekly nomination for the 2012 AFL Rising Star award. He finished the season ranked third at the club for total disposals (334), fourth for goals (15) and fifth for clearances (44).
In September 2012, the Gold Coast Suns announced that Caddy was again requesting a trade to a Victorian based club. Media reports at the time suggested were again seeking his services, this time along with and .
Geelong (2013–2016) 2013 season In October 2012, Caddy was traded to Geelong in exchange for a third round and a first-round draft selection (which Geelong initially received for losing Gary Ablett Jr. to Gold Coast) in the upcoming 2012 AFL draft.
Caddy faced a restricted pre-season in 2013, with ongoing recovery necessary for shoulder surgery that he underwent in September 2012. Despite this, he was selected to make his Cats debut in the club's round 1 match against . He played in just six of the club's first 12 AFL matches that season, before playing 11 straight including a losing qualifying final against . Though he did not play in the club's semi-final match, he returned to the club's losing preliminary final team against eventual premiers Hawthorn. He finished the season having played 18 matches and kicking a total of 11 goals.
2014 season Following an impressive close to 2013, Caddy won immediate selection into Geelong's AFL side for round 1, 2014. Despite receiving an accidental kick to the face by teammate and captain Joel Selwood (and seven stitches as a result), Caddy recorded an impressive 20 disposals and a goal in the match. He was named in Geelong's best players by AFL Media's report of the match. After four consecutive matches at the top level, Caddy sustained a foot injury while training in late April. Scans later revealed a serious break that would require eight weeks on the sidelines. He returned to the side for a round 14 match-up with Gold Coast. Caddy notched his 50th career game in round 17 that season. He recorded a career best 12 tackles in the match. Caddy played in all of the club's last 12 matches of the season including losing finals to Hawthorn and . Caddy had a team high 26 disposals in the losing semi-final to North Melbourne. He finished the season having played 16 matches and kicking 11 goals.
2015 season Caddy started the season in Geelong's best-22 for the third straight season when he lined up against in round 1, 2015. He was named in the Cats' best by AFL Media the following week, with a 20 disposal and 10 tackle effort against in round 2. The Australian Associated Press labelled Caddy's 20 disposal, two goal, round 10 performance as a continuation of "his emergence as a goal-kicking midfielder of real class." He was labelled by 3AW's Matthew Lloyd as the Cats' second-best performer in the following weeks victory over . Despite an apparently strong season to that point, Caddy was ranked seventh in the league for fewest disposals per turnover (4.2) at the end of round 11. In round 16, Caddy set career highs in disposals (37) and clearances (12) in the Cats' victory over the at Kardinia Park. In the latter part of the season Caddy endured symptoms of knee tendinitis and was subbed out early in the club's round 21 match against as a result. He did not play another game that season, and finished the year with 19 games played, a then-career-best 16 goals and seventh place in the club's best-and-fairest tally.
2016 season With the addition of Patrick Dangerfield in the previous years' off-season, Caddy was in line to play more time in the forward 50 for Geelong in 2016. He started the season strongly, kicking three goals and recording 21 disposals and seven clearances in the club's round 1 win over Hawthorn. Caddy suffered a medial ligament strain in Geelong's round 13 match with the Western Bulldogs. He had played in each of the club's matches to that point, but was forced to sit-out nearly two months of senior football as a result of the injury. He returned to the side in round 20, kicking 2 goals and gathering 19 disposals in the process. Caddy played in his first career finals win in September 2016, in a qualifying final against Hawthorn. He finished the season having played 18 matches and kicking a career best 21 goals. He was eighth at the club for disposals per game, seventh for total tackles and sixth for goals scored in season 2016. Caddy was one of just ten players in the competition to record averages of 20 or more disposals and one goal per game on a minimum of five games played that season.
When 's Brett Deledio began seeking a trade to Geelong in October 2016, Caddy's name was circulated in media reports concerning the potential deal. It was later revealed that Caddy's older brother Saul had run into former teammate and current Richmond CEO Brendon Gale in a chance encounter a month earlier and let slip of his younger brother's unrest at Geelong. Richmond reportedly offered Caddy increased midfield playing time as an incentive to move clubs. On 19 October, the day he himself had been traded to Richmond, former teammate Dion Prestia told journalists he had been in contact with Caddy in an attempt to lure him to the club. Though a deal involving Deledio eventually fell through, Richmond persisted in its pursuit of Caddy until late into the trade period.
Richmond (2017–2022) 2017 season
Caddy was traded to on the final day of the trade period, in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a swap of later picks.
He made his Richmond debut in the opening match of the 2017 season, a victory against at the MCG. He recorded 17 disposals and a goal in the round 1 match. Caddy played his 100th career match in round 5's Anzac Day eve match against . He had 21 disposals and 5 tackles in the match and kicked the match sealing goal late in the fourth quarter of Richmond's win. For the first time that season he was named among the club's best players for the match. Prior to round 7 coach Damien Hardwick admitted to having played Caddy away from the ball too regularly, committing him to more midfield time in coming weeks. He did well in the role that week, notching 20 disposals, three clearances, four tackles and a goal. After pulling up sore from a training session Caddy was a late withdrawal from Richmond's round 9 match against the GWS Giants. When full-forward teammate Jack Riewoldt sustained an eye injury, Caddy was called on to play as the team's focal point up forward. He kicked a goal in the first of these matches, before adding four more in the role against in round 20. It was a season best performance for him, adding 28 disposals, nine marks and even missing a further four shots on goal. He would not get a chance to repeat that performance though, suffering a hamstring strain early in the first quarter of the next week's match up against his old side Geelong. He missed two games as a result, making his return with two goals in Richmond's winning qualifying final against Geelong. From there Caddy and Richmond progressed to a preliminary final match-up with GWS, before a win saw them into a Grand Final against minor premiers . Caddy became a premiership player following that match, kicking Richmond's first goal in his side's 48 point victory.
2018 season