New Crow Chayce Jones became the first Tasmanian taken in the top 10 of an AFL Draft since 2013 after being selected with pick No.9.
After he saw his dream of becoming an AFL-listed player come true, the midfielder told AFC Media it was Adelaide’s list strength which made him most excited to join the Club.
“It’s surreal just to be put on the list… the caliber of players at the Club is amazing and I can’t wait to get stuck in and learn from them all and soak in information,” he said.
“I’m in a bit of shock to be honest, I didn’t know coming in to the night what would happen, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the recruiters and the team behind the scenes to put their faith in me.”
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After a significant ankle injury ended his 2017 season, the versatile Tasmanian made an impressive return to form in 2018.
He placed second in the TSL’s Player of the Year award after playing just five regular season games for Launceston.
“Coming into the season without playing a game in probably over a year was a bit difficult in the first game but once I got over that I kept improving consistently,” Jones said.
“It was different [playing senior footy]… you start playing a bit of good footy and some of the older blokes come after you a bit but it’s all an experience so I’ve got that in my back pocket and I can bring it out anytime.”
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He accredited some of his success to Launceston coach Sam Lonergan, who has signed on to coach Woodville West Torrens in 2019 after Michael Godden joined the Crows.
“The experience he [Lonergan] has is just amazing and the level he helped me out, I can’t thank him enough… he just gave me little bits of advice here and there and it all added up – I’m so grateful,” he said.
“Most definitely, he’s helped me out a lot and I just can’t wait to get more knowledge out of him and the club as well.”
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His second home was the Longford Football Club, where his father Brendan played over 400 games.
“Dad’s helped me out with everything… playing 400 games for your local club is an achievement in itself,” he said.
“After my games, I talk to him about whether I played bad and whether I played good and he’s just level headed and tells me what I need to hear, he’s just amazing with everything.”
As Jones integrates into the Club over the coming months, he said he hopes to firstly gain the respect of the players and staff, before working hard to put his name up for Round One.
