Arriving in Australia from Northumberland in 1911, Joseph Grieves starred for Williamstown-Yarraville, Yarraville and Spotswood. Eventually, despite living many suburbs from Footscray, he and his brother Charles worked their way in on the Williamstown line to join their ‘ethnic’ team Northumberland & Durham in 1915. Joseph stood out and was soon selected for Victoria against NSW in 1913 and in 1914, scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory to give Victoria state supremacy. He played for “England” in August 1915.
He enlisted on 5 July 1915 but had a war service beset with illness. He returned to Australia 2 January 1919 and was discharged on 9 April.
He resumed playing for Northumberland & Durham upon his return and was selected for England on the resumption of the annual international game in 1920, shifting to St Kilda in 1922. Andrew Howe in the Socceroo Encyclopedia recalls that Joseph “spent two years in South Africa (1923–1924) with Durban team Queens Park, and reportedly played for the whites-only Natal FA representative side in a Western Province tour.” On his return he scored for Australia on the Brunswick Cricket Ground against the touring Chinese in 1927 and was selected in the Australian touring party to Java in 1928.
His death on 27 April 1936 is attributed to war service.