Liam Jones


Liam Jones is an Australian rules footballer for the Carlton Football Club who plays as a Key Defender. He was drafted by Australian Football League club Western Bulldogs in the second round of the 2008 AFL Draft. He made his debut against North Melbourne in round 18 of the 2010 season. On 16 October 2014, Jones was traded to the Carlton Football Club and is contracted until the end of the 2022 season. Originally a Key Forward, Jones' switch to Carlton saw a revitalisation for his career as player, as he moved into a defensive position.

Early life

Growing up in Tasmania, Liam played his junior football with North Hobart Football Club before being selected to represent Tasmania's U18s. An Indigenous Australian, Jones's father Bob Jones was also a professional footballer, playing with St Kilda. Jones attended Scotch College, Melbourne as part of the school's indigenous program.

AFL career

Western Bulldogs (2008–2014)

At the 2008 National Draft, Liam was drafted with pick #32 by the Western Bulldogs. He spent the 2009 season in the reserves as he was only 17. He debuted in the 2010 season and averaged 9.4 disposals from 5 games.
In round 24, 2011, he was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award. He was nominated after playing in his team's win against Fremantle where he scored 2 goals. He also got 9 disposals and 4 marks.
Jones showed promise and recorded good stats but remained on the fringes of a falling Western Bulldogs side. His stat averages were increasing but he still found himself being picked in less games.

Carlton (2014–present)

Liam Jones was traded to the Carlton Football Club during the 2014 trade period in exchange for pick 46.That pick ended up being used to draft Caleb Daniel.
Jones start to his career at Carlton was met with poor form and he only managed 9 games in his first season with the Blues. He didn't play his first game for the 2016 season until Round 5 against Fremantle, where he kicked 2 crucial goals to see Carlton win by 4 points.
Going into the 2017 season, Jones' AFL career seemed in jeopardy and he was unexpected to play much senior football. Playing for Carlton's VFL side, Jones was moved from the forward line to defense and began to excel in the role of shutting down the opposition's best key-position. He was recalled to the senior team in Round 12 and played out the rest of the season. His performance in the second half of the year drew a lot attention and praise. Liam Jones recorded an extremely elite level of spoils per game largely due to his preference to punch the ball away instead of attempt a mark. He continued this form into the next season with 7.6 spoils a game, 5.4 marks a game, and even helped the team with 8.7 one percenters a game.
Liam Jones signed a 2-year contract extension during the 2017 that would see him at Carlton until the end of 2019. This decision prolonged his unrestricted free agency which would've been at the end of the 2017 season.
His 2019 pre-season was interrupted by a minor fracture to his left hand. After a strong season, Jones had resigned with the Blues for 3 years which meant Jones would remain at Carlton until the end of the 2022 season.

Statistics

! scope="row" |
2009

! scope="row" |
2010

! scope="row" |
2011

! scope="row" |
2012

! scope="row" |
2013

! scope="row" |
2014

! scope="row" |
2015

! scope="row" |
2016

! scope="row" |
2017

! scope="row" |
2018

! scope="row" |
2019

! scope="row" |
2020

! colspan=3| Career
!126
!84
!58
!815
!380
!1195
!538
!253
!0.7
!0.5
!6.5
!3.0
!9.5
!4.3
!2.0
!7