Lions gun’s flag dream
After almost a decade as one of the TSL’s best players, Huonville gun recruit Brady Jones is just one win away from a dream debut season for the Lions.
After a stellar career for Clarence, which included three best-and-fairest wins and three TSL Team of the Year achievements, the contested possession bull has been a dominant force for the Lions.
Jones, 32, will have a big say in which part of the Huon Valley the 2021 SFL premiership
cup calls home this Saturday when Huonville face Cygnet in an all-Huon grand final.
After nine seasons at Clarence, including seven as captain, Jones decided to step away from the Roos at the end of 2020 to spend more time with his young family and the hard-nosed midfielder said he was loving his new home.
“I do miss my mates from Clarence and playing with them and helping develop some of the young guns there, but the culture at Huonville is amazing and it’s a real family club and we’ve got a really great group and I’m loving it down there,” he said. “My family is my biggest priority and my wife Demi and I have a young family with our boys Mac, who is two, and Bobby who is three months old. And so after last season I decided it was time to relax a bit more and step away from the TSL to have some more time with them.”
As well as nine years of toplevel Tassie footy, he also played 17 Sheffield Shield games and eight 50-over matches for Tasmania as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
But now he said he was enjoying the reduced commitment the SFL required, while also noting how impressed he was with the quality of players throughout the league.
“It’s a bit better for the body and I’m really thankful to the club for letting me train just one night a week during the year, which was awesome of them and gives me more time with my family,” he said.
“One thing I’ve definitely noticed in the SFL is how much talent there is. I reckon there’d be a dozen blokes in most sides that could play TSL if they really wanted to and it’s great to have so many good players in the competition.”
Jones said a grand final win would be a great way to top off his Lions debut season.
“It’s been ten years since my flag with Kingborough in 2011 and since then I’ve spent a fair bit of time and effort with Clarence trying to get one,” he said.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t get there so I’m really excited and looking forward to the weekend.
“Cygnet are a great team and I think they’ve been the yardstick for the year and they’ve given us a couple of touch ups, but we’re confident if we play the footy we know we can then we’ll give it a real good shake.”
jarrod.lawlr@news.com.au