Jed Anderson settled in at Southern Districts for 2023-24 NTFL season
After an AFL journey spanning three clubs and 99 games , Jed Anderson has revealed why he is content to have finished one short of a milestone as he returns to local footy.
Northern Territory
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Jed Anderson’s AFL playing days might be over, but the multi-skilled utility is keen to impart his knowledge and skills on the game in the far north.
A 99-game player with Hawthorn (10 games) and North Melbourne (89), 29-year-old Anderson’s left foot kicking, aggressive approach to the football and tremendous vision make him one of the jewels of Northern Territory football.
His formative years with the Darwin Buffaloes and NT Thunder before joining Hawthorn via Greater Western Sydney’s scholarship program proved he had the talent and mindset to play at the elite level.
Injury cost Anderson a long career at the Hawks and Kangaroos and affected his form and confidence during a brief stint at the Gold Coast Suns.
The good news is the man they call ‘Ando’ is back in the NTFL with the Southern Districts Crocodiles with a vengeance where he is determined to get his adopted club on to the premiership dais in March.
“It’s good to be back, it was a big decision for myself and my family to return to Darwin, but now I’ve got the first couple of rounds out the way I can start settling down to NTFL footy again,” Anderson said.
“It was a personal and family decision to play out at Districts, there was nothing against the Buffaloes or anything like that.
“My connections with (coach) Shannon (Rusca) go back to our Thunder days and when he told me what Districts were doing and where they were heading I was pleased to provide my services out there.”
Anderson is back in Darwin for the long haul since joining the GWS program as a 16-year-old in 2010.
“I’ve been away from home for a long time and the family always knew we would return to Darwin at some stage, particularly when we’ve moved around a fair bit over the last couple of years,” he said.
“Now is the right time to come back where we’ve got the family’s support around us and where we can enjoy the lifestyle up here.”
Katherine-born Anderson enjoyed his time at the Gold Coast despite not adding to his games tally due to multiple injuries and some off-field issues.
“It all combined to make it a bit of a struggle where I couldn’t string enough good games together, which was unfortunate, but I want to thank the Suns for the time I was there,” he said.
“As for reaching 99 games in the AFL, my dream was to only play one game, so to string out 99 was a lot better than none I guess, it was a good journey for me.”
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Originally published as Jed Anderson settled in at Southern Districts for 2023-24 NTFL season
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