My Story: Zak Jones reveals the moment when he realised he wanted to play in the big league

Zak Jones thought it was pretty cool at school when kids would say “your brother plays with Melbourne” but it was something else that made him realise he wanted to play at the highest level.

Nathan Jones doesn’t mind giving it to younger brother Zak but they have a healthy respect for each other.

It was the moment I decided to come home.

I was sitting around a bonfire in Queenstown post-season last year with my two brothers and mucking around with their kids.

It dawned on me these were the kind of special times I’d been missing out on and I didn’t want to any longer.

Until that moment I still hadn’t decided whether I would stay in Sydney or come home to Victoria.

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I know a lot of players like to say it, but I honestly didn’t want to think about my future until the end of the season.

A couple of times my manager asked throughout the year if I was ready to talk yet, and I told him I wasn’t.

It didn’t feel like the right thing to do as I wanted to put all my energy into being involved in the football club.

Then after Sydney’s last game my manager called me again and asked me: “what are your thoughts?”

I still couldn’t decide and needed a bit more time to stew on it, before that family holiday across the ditch sealed the deal in my mind.

I played in a lot of finals at Sydney and I was very fortunate to go there and learn from mentors like Jarrad McVeigh, Rhyce Shaw, and then guys like Luke Parker and Josh Kennedy.

There were never any hard feelings towards the Swans, it was just the right time for me to return home.

All I needed now was a Melbourne club, and there was one in particular I had in mind.

A family get-together at Queenstown in New Zealand convinced Zak Jones it was time to come home.

SAYING NO TO THE PREMIERS

Robert Harvey was a big deal in our house growing up in Mt Eliza.

My two older brothers — Nathan and Josh — always used to have the No. 35 on their backs and it became almost like a family number over the years.

We were big St Kilda fans, at least until Nathan was drafted to Melbourne and we switched.

To be honest though, I still kept a real soft spot for the Sainters and I loved Lenny Hayes and Luke Ball.

Years later when looking for a new club, I met Richmond coach Damien Hardwick for dinner at his house.

He’s a ripping fella and we had a really good chat about potentially going to the Tigers.

Dimma completely understood my position and what I wanted to get out of my career, so it was a really productive conversation.

So why St Kilda?

They felt like the best fit and, if I’m being honest, there was a little bit of romance attached to playing for the club I supported as a kid.

What really sealed the deal though was having a chat with Ratts and the coaching staff, and just learning exactly what they wanted from me and realising the belief they had in me.

Walking in to Moorabbin, I didn’t really know what to expect.

But to my relief I felt so welcomed from the moment I stepped in the door.

My brother, Josh, was excited I joined the Saints and the first thing he asked me whether I was getting the No. 35 jersey.

Jones has always had a connection with St Kilda from his childhood, so the move felt right.

EARLY DAYS DOWN THE PENINSULA

My house was a bit of a war zone growing up.

That’s what happens when you’re the youngest of the family with two older brothers who love to terrorise you for fun.

I was the ragdoll and got mostly picked on.

We’d compete for absolutely everything, including sport, video games and even food.

We’d play footy in winter and cricket in the summer time, and it would usually always end up with me in tears.

It definitely helped me build the competitiveness in me, which extended to footy.

From a young age, life seemed to revolve around the Mt Eliza Footy Club.

Every second week they’d have a Sunday function, and I’d be there from 8am to play my game and I’d be there until 7.30 at night having dinner there.

Then when I was in Year 5 or 6, Nathan became an AFL player.

Kids at school would come and say to me: “your brother plays for Melbourne!”

It was pretty cool but I didn’t really think too much of it until I started going in to watch pre-season training and just hanging around the players from a young age.

Nath’s first game was against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG, and to watch him do that was such a cool feeling.

It made me think ‘this is what I want to do too’.

Zak (centre) with brothers Nathan (left) and Josh.

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BECOMING A SWAN

I cried when I became a Sydney Swans player.

It was at a pub in Mt Eliza, where I was watching the draft with some family and friends.

I had no inkling where I’d be going, and then the Swans suddenly read out my name at pick No. 15.

A mixture of emotions hit me all at once.

There was a little bit of ‘do I really want to move away?’

Mostly though it was more the dream I had was becoming a reality — I was on an AFL list.

It surprised me the Swans had picked me though given I’d stood them up a few times

I’d had conversations with lots of clubs, and when I was due to meet with the Swans I wasn’t able to make it to the office.

I rescheduled twice on them and I thought ‘gee I’m not sure that will go down well.’

I got them the third time, and then I guess they got me on draft night.

Sydney Swans always depended heavily on Jones’s speed out of defence.

WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME

‘Welcome mate, and get ready for the 3km time trial on your first day.’

Pardon?

I was still at the pub celebrating the draft when I received a call from my new AFL coach, John Longmire.

‘Horse’ broke the news of the first-up time trial to me.

‘Surely not,’ I thought.

Maybe he’s joking?

Regardless, I still decided to stay out anyway as I thought I might as well celebrate this while I can.

I got up to Sydney, and thankfully the time trial didn’t happen on day one.

It did come on my third day though, and I was grateful for the little bit of breathing space.

We started off and I thought I was going OK until I saw my new teammate, big Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, just powering past me at speed.

‘Holy s.., this is what’s it about,’ I thought.

Zak says older brother Nathan handed him a beauty in their first AFL contest.

PLAYING AGAINST BIG BROTHER

The first time I played against Nathan, he got me a beauty.

My brother is not a sledger on the field, it turns out he’s a sniper.

Well, at least with me he is.

Our first meeting was in Round 13 of 2016 at the SCG.

We hadn’t spoken that week, and then when I saw him on the field I burst out laughing.

I remember at one point being on the deck and getting a handball out.

Then when I went to get up I felt someone kneeing me in the back of the head.

I looked up and there was Nath running off laughing.

I was dirty about that, but it was like being kids again.

We’re one game apiece at the moment, and he got me last time and kicked a good goal on me, which I haven’t stopped hearing about.

It’s always been a little bit of a dream to play with Nathan.

I don’t think Melbourne was that interested at the end of last year, and I don’t think we explored that option either.

Maybe one day post-AFL the three of us brothers could get back down to Mt Eliza Footy Club and play a game together.

That would be great fun and a big day.

Nathan doesn’t mind giving it to Zak but they have a healthy respect for each other.

GETTING BACK FOR A GRAND FINAL

‘Oh no.’

That was all that went through my head late in 2016 when I felt a pop in my ankle.

It was Round 17 against Hawthorn at the SCG when I was crunched by Big Ben McEvoy, which resulted in the injury.

It was syndesmosis and I thought my season may have been cooked.

That feeling was made worse by the fact we had a really good side that year that looked like it was heading deep into September.

I was desperate to keep my spot.

Fortunately I was able to play two reserves games to get some touch back, and then I got picked for the preliminary final against Geelong.

It was a huge game, but I was still so focused on trying to hold my spot.

We won well and I played fairly well, but I knew they were bringing McVeigh back in for the grand final so it was a nervous wait.

As it turns out I made the cut to face the Western Bulldogs in the biggest game of my life.

We all know how the result turned out, but it’s a funny thing now to reflect on that game.

Of course it saddens me because we lost, but then there are some players who have played their entire careers without playing in one.

I’m also now still in the position of being able to push for another one.

I consider myself fortunate overall, but it still definitely hurts inside when I think about that game.

Jogging out onto the MCG, I’d never seen 100,000 people before and it awed me.

You get that butterfly feeling you dreamt about as a kid.

After the game sitting on the oval watching the Bulldogs hold up the cup, I wasn’t emotional.

Then as soon as I got down to the rooms and saw my family, it hit me all at once.

You never know if it’s going to happen again, but I sure hope it will.

Originally published as My Story: Zak Jones reveals the moment when he realised he wanted to play in the big league