Blues tip Jones to fly high

CARLTON captain Marc Murphy has backed Liam Jones to become a permanent fixture in the club’s backline in the season’s most remarkable career revival.

Murphy said Jones – who stopped No.1 pick Jon Patton in the Blues’ shock win against GWS – was like “watching a bloke play against schoolkids” in the VFL after his extraordinary rebirth as a defender.

Jones, 25, will take on Gold Coast superstar Tom Lynch on Saturday night and his management yesterday expected to open contract talks with Blues’ list manager Stephen Silvagni “sooner rather than later”.

Lynch kicked a career-best seven goals against Carlton in Round 4. Rival clubs took note of Jones’ revival in the VFL, where Murphy said he was “easily best-on-ground” in five or six consecutive matches.

Former Carlton coach Mick Malthouse labelled Jones an “explosive animal” in 2014 and after two disappointing seasons as a forward he seems to have found his true calling at the opposite end of the ground.

“He has copped a bit of criticism, but I’ll tell you what – watching the VFL this year, he’s been best-on nearly every game,” Murphy said.

“It was almost (like) watching a bloke play against schoolkids the way he was crashing packs and spoiling and taking big, contested marks.

“He was that good. It hadn’t really been working for him up forward, and to his credit he thought he’d try and get an opportunity down back and change up what he’s done for the last seven or eight years.”

Jones played on Patton for 81 minutes on Sunday and led the game for spoils (12) and intercept marks (four) with his speed and kicking sharp.