JONES JUMPS AT HIS CHANCE

As the wider AFL community celebrates Sir Doug Nicholls this weekend, the journey of young Western Bulldog Arthur Jones is worthy of recognition.

Hailing from Mount Barker in Western Australia, the pocket rocket was the 43rd selection in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft.

Mount Barker might ring a bell in the memory of older footy fans – it was the hometown of the famous Krakouer brothers Jim and Phil, who burst on to the League scene with North Melbourne back in 1982.

But the connection doesn’t end there – it just so happens Jones is the great nephew of Jim and Phil.

The young Bulldog also followed his great uncles’ footsteps by playing in the WAFL with Claremont before embarking on his AFL career.

Jones joined the Bulldogs at the end of 2021 but had to bide his time in the VFL in 2022 as Cody Weightman become the go-to small forward at Whitten Oval.

But Weightman injured his groin and missed the first four rounds of the 2023 season, opening up a spot at the feet of talls Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

After losing their opening two games, the Bulldogs knew they needed a spark and Jones was called up for his AFL debut in round three against the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium.

It was fitting that Travis Varcoe, an Indigenous star with Geelong and Collingwood and now the Bulldogs’ development coach, broke the news at a team meeting that Jones would be making his debut.

“It’s a really exciting moment for me and my family, but also for the club,” Jones said.

“It’s a bit hard to put into words. It’s a great moment – when you work at something for so long.” u N AB AFL Auskick has kicked off and it’s the best way to introduce kids to the great game of Australian Football!

And what a night to debut.

With Ugle-Hagan on fire with a match-winning five-goal haul just a week after he’d been subjected to online racial abuse, the Bulldogs finally scored their first win of the season.

Livewire Jones provided plenty of spark, but it was his post-game celebrations that made him an instant favourite with the Bulldogs’ faithful.

Jones celebrated with fans by taking selfies and dishing out high-fives well after the final siren.

In fact, the entire Bulldogs team had to wait for him to finish his long victory lap before they headed down the race to belt out the team song.

Jones has held his spot and played every game since as the Bulldogs built to a 6-3 win-loss record after round nine.

Auskick is all about fun, getting hands on the ball and constantly being involved in exciting activities in an inclusive environment.

Across Sir Doug Nicholls Round, keep your eyes out for some of our wonderful half-time Auskickers who will be wearing custom Indigenous T-shirts.

Thank you to Rhan Hooper, a former Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn player and proud Indigenous man, who created the beautiful design and to the Indigenous-owned business Yilay that bought his design to life.

Register now and find your local Auskick centre play.afl/Auskick.

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