Zak Jones opens up on why he wanted to join St Kilda
For some players, the AFL exchange period can be a dream. For others, a nightmare. New Saint Zak Jones found out, first hand, what it’s like to endure a tense wait as the clock ticked down to the trade deadline.
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Zak Jones has it figured out.
Trade deadline day nerves have a hold of him as his move to St Kilda remains in limbo with the clock ticking down, so he goes into full distraction mode.
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Jones fires up Fortnite, gives his phone to girlfriend Tay in another room of the couple’s Maroubra house and takes himself to another place for a couple of hours.
Then comes the Dan Hannebery text. “What the f--- is going on, mate?” Hannebery asks.
Jones’s former Swans teammate turned St Kilda midfielder is just as anxious as everyone else as Wednesday’s trade deadline looms.
“I honestly didn’t watch it,” Jones told the Herald Sun later.
“I couldn’t watch it. I was that nervous. You’re never really confident about the whole thing.”
But with seven minutes to go there is relief. The Swans and Saints finally agree on a trade that sends Jones and Sydney’s future fourth-round pick to Moorabbin in exchange for pick 32 and a future third-round selection.
We caught up with Jones on his first visit to Moorabbin since the deal went through.
“It’s a good feeling arriving here. It really hadn’t sunk in, but now I’m actually down here it’s starting to feel more real,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to a fair few of the (St Kilda) boys. They sent a few messages to say welcome and it was good for them to get in touch and make me feel so welcome.”
At 24, after 90 games in six years at Sydney, it was big-decision time for Jones.
Having been raised in Mt Eliza with older brothers Nathan and Josh, he had to weigh up the lure of a return home against his love for the Swans and a potential long-term commitment. So we have two questions for Jones — why leave Sydney? And why pick St Kilda?
“The Swans are a very good club, but I was ready to come home,” he said.
“I wasn’t ready to commit to a longer deal and I thought this was the right time.
“I’m grateful for everything the Swans have done for me, but this felt right. I miss my family.
“I didn’t think much about it when I first arrived there, but when my girlfriend got up there and we started thinking about what life would be like if I finished my career up there, would I then move back home?
“When we agreed that, yeah, I probably would move back, I think that’s what triggered it.”
The decision was reaffirmed on visits to Victoria where Jones spent time with his brothers’ families.
Being the uncle his nephews didn’t recognise was a real fear.
“I’ve been missing out on a lot back at home,” he said.
“My older brothers both have kids and I miss out on a lot of birthdays and those things.
“Coming home and seeing them not really knowing you was a reality check for me that maybe I do want to come home and spend more time in their lives.”
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Entrenched as a Sydney regular, Jones played seven finals, including the 2016 Grand Final for John Longmire’s Swans.
“You don’t think about it much when you’re living it, but these past few days I’ve had time to flick through some old photos and think back to those finals. I’m really grateful to have gone to such a club,” Jones said.
“‘Horse’ (John Longmire) was great. He was completely understanding of me wanting to go home and the important thing for me was to be upfront and honest with them.
“I said: ‘I want to be honest with you and if I’m 100 per cent sure throughout the year that I want to come home then I will tell you.’ I didn’t want to mess them around.”
So why St Kilda?
Jones is not scared to admit that barracking for the Saints as a kid was a small factor.
He had options, but he kept coming back to the chat he’d had with new Saints coach Brett Ratten and his off-field team in the weeks after Sydney’s season ended.
“There was a little bit of a romantic aspect that I supported them growing up, but speaking with the coaches they gave me a lot of confidence and believed in me and that helped me push towards St Kilda,” Jones said.
“It’s a tough thing not knowing where the club sees you and it’s not until you really have a meeting with them and understand what they see you doing that you actually feel comfortable talking about it.
“It was about where I wanted to see myself playing footy and where teams saw me playing and I got a lot of out speaking to ‘Ratts’ and the coaches and what they thought I could bring to the club.
“Ratts is very positive about taking this club in the right direction and I feel like I can come here and be happy.”
While Jones remains good friends with Hannebery, there are a few other familiar faces at his new club.
“Timmy Membrey was my first housemate up in Sydney when I got to the Swans,” he said.
“Dylan Roberton played with my middle brother Josh and Benny McGlynn (Saints development and Sandringham senior coach) was up in Sydney as well.”
He won’t exactly be the odd one out on the first day of pre-season next month either, given he’s part of the basketball team arriving after the trade period.
Brad Hill, Dougal Howard, Paddy Ryder and Dan Butler will also be St Kilda players next year, with Jones particularly thrilled at the prospect of playing on the opposite wing to former Fremantle flyer, Hill.
“I’m very excited to play with him. I’ve played against him and running after him wasn’t much fun,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can produce and the other recruits are great in Ryder and Howard, while I’ve gone up against Dan Butler before, too.
“The Saints have done well.”