#1
Darcy Jones
height: 175cm
weight: 67kg
D.O.B: 03-04-2004
Leagues: WAFL Colts, AFL U18 Championships
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Snapshot
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Analysis
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Summary
SNAPSHOT: “A tenacious and zippy midfielder with an eye for goal, Jones has proven size does not matter to put his name on the radar of many clubs.”
Shorter players tend to experience a lot of adversity when trying to get drafted, and few have done better to shake off the “too small” tag than Darcy Jones has in 2022. earning WAFL Colts team of the year honours as a bottom-age player in 2021, Jones took his game to new heights this year. At 175cm, opposition mids could be mistaken for thinking he would be easy to stop, something they very quickly learn to be untrue.
He thrives in the contest, using his speed and agility to get first hands to the ball and evade would-be tacklers as if they were cones in a training drill. He faced an uphill battle to make it in the midfield for WA, but his strong form early in the season saw him become one of the first names on the whiteboard come the National Championships. He has taken every opportunity that has come his way at Colts, State, Reserves and League level to impress recruiters with his ability to get plenty of the ball and impact the scoreboard.
STRENGTHS:
+ Acceleration
+ Accumulation
+ Agility
+ Consistency
+ Run-and-carry
+ Scoreboard impact
IMPROVEMENTS:
- Kicking on the run
- Size
A strong year by Jones, he has done well to consistently be a key player in any team he has played for this season. A midfielder by trade, he uses his size to his advantage when hunting down the ball on the deck or off of his ruckman’s hand. His strong form in 2022 saw him called up to the League side for Swan Districts, where he played more mixed minutes rotating between the forward line and his favoured midfield spot, catching the eye with a 13-disposal and two-goal game on debut, backed up by a 19-disposal two-goal game, enviable numbers for sure.
His acceleration and agility are his two strongest attributes without doubt, but once Jones has the footy in his hands, he shows great composure and vision to take on challenging kicks to put his side in the best possible position to score. Playing against the boys his age in the WAFL Colts, Jones averaged over 25 touches, a goal and more than four tackles a game this season, though as far as a clear area of improvement is concerned, putting on the weight and size to be more potent with his tackling will certainly be on the agenda.
Once the game is broken open and the field is more spread, Jones sets up well around the ground to help put the pressure on opposition counter attacks. He pairs this spatial awareness with his speed when on a fast break to create an option for his teammates on the outside, always looking to get the ball forward quickly to score. He possesses an incredible vertical leap, which allows him to make a strong presence in marking contests against taller opposition.
His sharp eye in front of goal helps further separate him from other midfielders of his ilk. With 12 goals from 11 games across all three WAFL grades, Jones once again uses his sharp acceleration to burst out of a pack when around the 50-metre arc and provide himself some time to settle when looking to score on the run. This eye for goal was best shown off in his three-goal haul against Claremont in Round 4 of the Colts season, the best of which a set shot from just inside the boundary on the right flank nearly 50 metres out - an unlikely goal for even the best of forwards, let alone this tenacious mid.
DRAFT RANGE: 25-40
SUMMARY:
Jones has done well in 2022 to shake off many concerns about his size and ability to translate his game smoothly against senior players. He proved in the latter stages of the season to provide an option as a small forward at the top level, though any club that takes him will have a long-term midfielder on their hands. There will be very few questions left to ask of Jones come the draft in November, and he will provide a great option to select for any clubs with picks outside of the range of those big name midfielders we continue to hear about this year.
AFL U18 Championships
Season | Team | K | HB | D | M | CP | UP | T | HO | CLR | I50 | R50 | GL | GM | K | H | D | M | HO | T | G | DC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Western Australia | 29 | 30 | 59 | 11 | 24 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 19.7 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 85 |
Total | - | 29 | 30 | 59 | 11 | 24 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 19.7 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 85 |
WAFL Colts
Season | Team | K | HB | D | M | CP | UP | T | HO | CLR | I50 | R50 | GL | GM | K | H | D | M | HO | T | G | DC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |