SWAN Districts pocket rocket Darcy Jones has been a shining light for the reigning WAFL Colts premiers across five games in 2022, catching the eye with his line-breaking speed and creativity. The 175cm talent was part of the Black Ducks’ 2021 flag-winning side, and caught the eye as a member of Western Australia’s representative setup.

Coming into his top-age year, the 18-year-old impressed at preseason testing with a state-best standing vertical leap of 84cm, and even turned out for a scratch match in Swan Districts’ League team. In his latest Colts outing, Jones put up a game-high 27 disposals despite going down to the tune of 64 points against Subiaco.

We put his Round 5 showing under the Player Focus microscope.

Swan DistrictsMidfielder

Darcy Jones

Height: 175cm

Weight: 67kg

DOB: 03-04-2004

Strengths:

Acceleration

Accumulation

Agility

Consistency

Run-and-carry

Scoreboard impact

Improvements:

Kicking consistency [reference to execution]

Size

SEASON SO FAR

Averages: 5 games | 25.8 disposals (16.0 kicks, 9.8 handballs), 3.8 marks, 4.0 tackles, 5.2 inside 50s, 1.0 goals (5 total)

Though the reigning premiers currently sit in a lowly eighth at 1-4, Jones is enjoying a strong start to his Colts campaign. Including his latest effort, the midfielder has topped the disposal charts in two outings and racked up a high of 44 against Perth in Round 3. He hit a low of 19 twice, but has been relatively consistent as one of Swan Districts’ prime movers. In an attempt to add strings to his bow, Jones opened his goalkicking account with five majors in the last two weeks, helped by two in the loss to Subiaco.

2022 WAFL Colts – Round 5
Subiaco 17.8 (110) def. Swan Districts 7.4 (46)

Stats: 27 disposals (20 kicks, 7 handballs), 6 marks, 2 tackles, 7 inside 50s, 2 goals, 1 behind, 21 centre bounce attendances (26 total)

FIRST QUARTER

Starting among Swan Districts’ on-ball mix, Jones featured in four of five centre bounces throughout the first quarter, but all four restarts saw Subiaco win the clearing possession. While earning the primary ball was not a theme, Jones managed to catch the eye with his line-breaking speed on secondary possessions.

Two of his best moments came when setting off through the corridor, snaffling up one loose ball and receiving another before backing his pace and delivering forward by foot. On his right side, he hit up Tom Smith perfectly on the lead, but a left-footed entry ended up being a real scrubber.

Having kicked all of his goals for the season over the last two rounds, Jones also got on the board with a well-struck set shot from 40 metres. He had snuck out the back and marked uncontested, before sinking the Black Ducks’ second major of the term.

A slick forward handball in the dying stages, and some early defensive pressure inside 50 to force turnovers were other highlights of Jones’ opening period, where he got going with some positive moments.

SECOND QUARTER

The second term was a massive one for Jones, who lifted during the middle stages as Subiaco began to break away with a handy buffer. Again attending four of five centre bounces, he produced his first breakaway and racked up plenty of possessions all around the ground.

Jones, despite only registering a minor score, also had a three running shots on goal. His finishing touch is something to work on, particularly on the run, and that showed as he got under one attempt and put another wide from just inside the attacking arc, to go with a left/foot snap which did not quite bend back.

In other passages, including a couple of kick-ins, the 18-year-old speared his passes nicely and looked to be attacking with his decision making, using the corridor and often delivering up to half-forward. He was happy to kick on both feet too, which opened up options on the fly.

Jones was also sighted sweeping behind the ball and took a couple of marks in the middle of the ground, taking the opportunity to move the ball on quickly and give his forwards a chance of catching their defenders out.

THIRD QUARTER

In what was a bizarre 25 minutes of play, Swan Districts had its best run – thanks largely to Jones’ efforts – before capitulating in a horror close to the third term as Subiaco poured on the goals.

During the Swans’ short-lived purple patch, Jones was one who began to get on top at the centre bounces, using his turn of speed and clean hands off the deck to drive the black and whites forward. He even got to showcase his vertical leap with a two-grab intercept mark.

While a couple of his early disposals were clangers, the Swan Districts pocket rocket helped his side win half of the centre bounces he attended, at least giving the Swans a fighting chance in the midfield battle.

That quickly changed in the final 10 minutes or so, as Subiaco dominated out of the middle and made it count on the scoreboard to open up a 64-point lead heading into the final break. Truly a term of two halves.

FOURTH QUARTER

After copping a thrashing to finish term three, Swan Districts essentially broke even in the final quarter and Jones ran out a strong outing. As had been a theme throughout the game, when the Black Ducks won centre clearances, Jones had a say in it more often than not.

His ability to kick on both feet came in handy at one particular centre bounce, where Jones wheeled onto his left side without second thought and pumped the ball forward. Combined with his breakaway speed, it allows the diminutive playmaker to move where the space is, rather than be restricted to one exit.

Jones also snuck forward for his second goal, a 20-metre set shot which snuck home, and hit the top of the goalsquare with a couple of long kicks – one of which assisted a Brodyn Fitzgerald major.

Overall, Jones was able to cap his day on a positive note despite the final score, finishing with a game-high disposal tally as he stepped up when his side needed it. Though arguably more suited to a wing or half-forward flank, Jones made the best of his assets to keep Swan Districts competitive on the inside, using his speed to take the game on with positive intent.