Austinn Jones
Encyclopedia
Austinn "Aussie" Jones is a former Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er with the St Kilda Football Club.

The 176 cm Jones played for the Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 reserves in the mid-1990s, but they were afraid to recruit him due to him weighing just 64 kilograms. "Aussie" as he is more commonly known, however, refused to give up on his dream to play AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 football, and was recruited to St Kilda in the 1994 AFL Draft
AFL Draft
The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.-History:...

. He made his debut in 1995 still weighing in at the high 60's.

In 1996 and 1997, Jones established himself as one of the League's better wingers/half-back flankers, with his pace and hard-running a big advantage for the Saints.

Jones played in St Kilda’s 1996 AFL Ansett Australia Cup
1996 Ansett Australia Cup
- Scorecard :-St Kilda Football Club:-Carlton Football Club:- Final Placings :1. St. Kilda 2. Carlton 3. West Coast 4. North Melbourne 5. Collingwood 6. Brisbane 7. Footscray 8. Adelaide 9. Sydney 10. Fremantle 11. Fitzroy 12. Richmond...

 winning side - the club's first AFL Cup win.

Jones played in 22 of 22 matches in the 1997 AFL Premiership Season home and away rounds in which St Kilda Football Club qualified in first position for the 1997 AFL Finals Series, winning the club’s 2nd Minor Premiership and 1st McClelland Trophy
1997 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1997.The Port Adelaide Power joined the competition.The Brisbane Lions also joined the competition after the merger of the and ....

.

In 1997 he had a stellar year, Jones winning All-Australian selection.

In fact, Jones put the Saints in a very strong position, kicking possibly Goal of the Year with a magnificent long run and goal. At that stage the Saints had a comfortable lead and the Jones goal looked like the team would run away with the game. It was not to be, however, with the Saints forfeiting a half-time lead to lose the match.

Jones played in St Kilda’s 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup
2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup
The 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup was the Australian Football League competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2004 Premiership Season began...

 winning side - St Kilda's second AFL Cup win.

Jones career suffered from inconsistency in the following years, however in 2004, the first year St Kilda made the finals since 1998, Jones again won All-Australian selection and was back to his best. However Jones, even then, doubted whether he would be able to cope with the mental pressures of AFL football, and was even considering retirement.

In 2005 he suffered a major setback when he was dropped to the VFL
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...

 mid-year. Although he regained his form, Jones admitted that he was at his lowest ebb as a player at this stage. He fought his way back into the seniors and performed admirably during the Saints' late-season charge into the top 4.

Despite hinting at his retirement previously, it was a huge shock when Jones called it quits from the game of AFL
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

with one year to run on his contract, and having just turned 29. He cited the mental pressures, more than the physical toll, as the reason for his retirement. In 2006 he was the contracted as the playing coach at the country club, the Narre Warren Magpies. His venture as coach was a successful one as in his first year as coach the team won the Casey Cardinia Football League grand final. In 2007 The Narre Warren Magpies, again with Jones as the playing coach, are attempting to win back to back premierships as the team will play off in a grand final in September 2007.

Narre Warren, under the guidance of Aussie Jones in his last game as playing coach, won back to back premierships on Saturday 22 September 2007. Is now the coach of Gippsland Power in the TAC CUP for the 2008 season.
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