EFNL 2024: Doncaster East’s Darcy Jones-Hughes to miss the season with ACL injury
A bitter blow for Eastern Premier Division club Doncaster East and one of the league’s brightest young stars on the eve of the season. Latest here.
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Doncaster East has been dealt a hammer blow on the eve of its Eastern Premier Division campaign with one of the league’s brightest young stars to miss the season.
Darcy Jones-Hughes suffered an ACL injury in the opening five minutes of the Lions’ practice match against St Kevin’s last Saturday.
The midfielder enjoyed a breakout season as a 20-year-old last year among a team stacked with ex-AFL and VFL talent, playing every home-and-away match while also cracking a VFL game for GWS.
Doncaster East senior coach Ryan James said scans on Sunday confirmed the worst.
“It probably doesn’t get much more devastating than that,” James said.
“He obviously had a really good year for us (last year) and finished at the pointy end of our best and fairest, and has probably taken another step over the summer – he’s in our leadership group.
“Through Whitey’s (Simon White’s) Carlton connections we were able to get him scans on Sunday, and we knew Sunday.”
James said Jones-Hughes had been in line for VFL opportunities with GWS again this season, while AFL clubs had enquired about the former Beverley Hills junior.
“In our first practice match he was best on ground for us and everything was tracking really good – he had some interest from higher above,” James said.
“It (the midfield) is probably the one area of the ground where we do have depth, but no-one’s replacing Darcy … I think he’s the best young player in the comp.
“Everything he does is first-class.”
The playing group has rallied around the young gun.
“He’s like everyone’s little brother, he does everything right and the group was really flat,” James said.
“This is a good group of players – they’re getting around him.
“(But) we’re not going to be the first club that goes through it.”
Doncaster East hosts Noble Park to open its season on Saturday.
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