Chayce Jones reveals his off-season bulk up and what Matthew Nicks thinks of his bid for more midfield time
Chayce Jones has been one of the young Crows to catch the eye this pre-season. He talks about adding some muscle, his midfield ambitions and the advice Matthew Nicks has given him.
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Chayce Jones has added 3kg in his bid to break into Adelaide’s midfield, and new Crows coach Matthew Nicks is giving the young-gun’s on-ball dreams some big encouragement.
After giving Crows fans a taste of his talent around the ball in their final home and away game of 2019, the 19-year-old has been one of the most impressive Adelaide players since they returned from the off-season.
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Some much-needed muscle has been added to the Tasmanian’s 180cm frame, but this did not impact his running tank at all as he took out the Crows 2km time trial earlier this month.
“I put on two or three (kilos in the off-season),” he told The Advertiser.
“(It) was nice, I was just trying to put a bit of size over the off-season and it’s looking good so far.
“I just made sure I stuck to the program that the HPT (high performance) staff gave us (over the off-season).”
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But for Jones, nearly as key as putting on some muscle was making sure he didn’t add too much to his frame.
“You definitely have to be careful about how much you put on because you don’t want to put on five kilos and lose your running capability,” he said.
It has fuelled hope that the lightning quick Jones, who played eight games mostly as a forward in his first years at the Crows, can make a move to the midfield in 2020 – especially after his stunning game against the Bulldogs in Round 23.
“I want to be around the ball, that’s where I believe I got picked up (by the Crows at pick 9) to play,” he said.
“So I just want to show my way and give them a reason to pick me there in the midfield.”
He isn’t alone, with Nicks telling Jones there’s an opening for him if he can grasp it.
“(We’ve spoken) a little bit (around playing in the midfield), he just said come out and train to dominate, train to do the best for your team,” Jones said.
“There are spots available so you have to take it.”
Crows midfielders Rory Sloane and Bryce Gibbs have also been helping Jones with running patterns and technique.
“I definitely want to improve on the bodywork (part of his game) so I can use my body a bit more around the ball and work on the midfield craft,” he said.
Jones played, and dominated, in the Tasmanian State League as a teenager for Launceston.
He said the biggest change in his step-up to the AFL, was the pace of the game.
He played 12 games for the Crows in the SANFL, averaging 17 disposals and four tackles per game, ended up being in-and-out of the AFL side despite the side crying out for pace in the forward and midfield.
“Some people see it (being in the SANFL) as a bad thing but it is definitely a good thing at a young age to get experience of playing in different leagues and different speeds,” he said.
“In some games in the AFL the pace might be a bit slower so having that experience can help you.”