Zak Jones ready to take his chance in Saturday’s Grand Final

EVEN his loyal brother Nathan believed Zak Jones’ season was over when a stray elbow ended his NEAFL Grand Final in brutal style.

Zak Jones of the Swans.

EVEN his loyal brother Nathan believed Zak Jones’ season was over when a stray elbow ended his NEAFL Grand Final in brutal style.

The hard-running Swan had just returned from a six-week ankle injury when he was knocked out for up to two minutes by Giant Jeremy Finlayson.

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As Melbourne captain Jones said that week of younger brother Zak: “I think that might be his season done.”

Yet there he was on the MCG in last week’s preliminary final making himself undroppable with 22 high-quality possessions and a game-high 708 metres gained.

The No. 15 pick of the 2013 draft says he is still unsure whether he will make Sydney’s Grand Final team.

But after a troublesome syndesmosis strain then that serious concussion he has defied the critics even to get this far.

“Ten weeks ago I got crunched by big (Ben) McEvoy and I just felt a little pop in my ankle,’’ he said.

“The physios said it could be three to four weeks but it ended up being six weeks. I came back for the (NEAFL) prelim and was pretty happy with how I played.

“I played three quarters of the grand final and then 10 minutes into the last quarter I got hit.

“I just got an elbow to the face and it got me flush.”

Zak Jones celebrates a goal with teammate Gary Rohan. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Jones isn’t sure how long he was out — “maybe a minute or two” — but brain scans and a SCAT test cleared him of lingering damage despite those lost minutes of consciousness.

He still missed the semi-final but with Callum Mills and Jarrad McVeigh sidelined, the planets aligned for a remarkable return.

“When it happened I had a big headache and you kind of feel a bit drunk to be honest and then two days later you come good,’’ he said.

“I did my baseline concussion test and then on the Friday we went for a jog and I missed that week but I trained on the Sunday.

“I had two scans to see if anything was going on, if there was any bleeding, but I was stoked to get an opportunity and hopefully I grabbed it with both hands.”

Zak Jones has hit form at the right time. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Jones wore the green vest as the sub in last year’s finals but now has a chance to unleash his undoubted gifts.

The Swans love him because he is the ideal package — tough like his older brother and with a penetrating kick off half-back or in the midfield.

He might have played only 30 AFL games — and just four of them on the MCG — but he estimates he has watched his brother play 100 times on footy’s home turf.

They shared an emotional embrace after last Friday’s victory, with luck finally rolling Jones’ way.

Originally published as Zak Jones ready to take his chance in Saturday’s Grand Final