AFL Player #23: Harrison Jones - Clocks up 50th game v Gold Coast - 5/8

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I said it during the Gumby years and several others since.. you can't keep these guys that miss so much development time. He may have had above average talent at time of drafting but he has missed so much footy. Very rare to then come good and become great if you miss those first 3-4 years of AFL development. Reid and Cox almost in the same boat.

Unlucky but surely questions on our fitness department.. long standing issues getting and keeping players on the park.
his whole cohort missed that development time though, so not much difference investing in him vs a kid a year or two younger with less talent and another pick down the drain.
 
Unlikely he’ll play again this year - he’s been with us for 4 years now and played a total of
31 games (averages approx 8 games a year)

Other stats:

Average- possessions: 7.7, marks 3.4, tackles - 1.3, goals 1.1

He’s hasn’t exactly shot the lights out but definitely shown there’s something to work with - that is - when he’s been able to get on the park…This is the million dollar question with him - can his body handle AFL?
He’s still only 22 so there is time but you don’t want to see too many more season ending injuries like this…



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Brad has launched an investigation into why our talls are getting back stress fractures. Is talking to Cricket Australia about how they got Pat Cummins through his. God I love this man.
 

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He's 22?

And prior to this year, looked good.

No way they cut him.
He does look good when he's fit, key word being 'when'

He's 22, with back, ankle and feet issues.

I don't think they'll cut him, but I personally think he's coming from a long way back to make it.

3 consecutive seasons of long term injuries
 

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I think he's shown plenty to keep persisting with him, Shown more than most our other injury prone talls.

Let him have a clean run at it, add some size, injury free.
I'd love nothing more for him to have a clean run injury free, this is the issue though is it not?

They will give him 1, possibly 2 years due to putting him in for surgery with the intent of having a injury free pre-season. We need to start thinking seriously about how many injury prone key position players we plan on keeping long term though. He's 22, which after this set back will likely be 24 when he starts hitting his straps again (if no set backs) missing important years of development.
 
I’m not as ready to rule a line through him like some seem to be. But geez his luck would want to turn around next year and then not take another dive.
Agree with this. Look at Curnow these days. Even Joe. Different issues, but not gone yet.

Thank goodness we got Weid and he is doing fairly well.
 
I'd love nothing more for him to have a clean run injury free, this is the issue though is it not?

They will give him 1, possibly 2 years due to putting him in for surgery with the intent of having a injury free pre-season. We need to start thinking seriously about how many injury prone key position players we plan on keeping long term though. He's 22, which after this set back will likely be 24 when he starts hitting his straps again (if no set backs) missing important years of development.
You've been Gumbletoned and the effects will linger a life time.

I'm thinking similar to you but hope I'm wrong, just like I hoped I was wrong every time Gumby was put out to pasture and then making another comeback. At some point a tough decision is required, and with limited list there's only so many injury prone talls we can carry.

If (gee we use that word a lot with our young talls) Reid and Cox get on the park and stay on the park this year it'll only ramp up the heat. It's a situation where if we were forced to delist Harry and someone else picked him up I'd love to see him eek out a career.

I do like the suggestion from TheGrizz as a compromise though, 1 year with a games trigger for a 2nd.
 
You've been Gumbletoned and the effects will linger a life time.

I'm thinking similar to you but hope I'm wrong, just like I hoped I was wrong every time Gumby was put out to pasture and then making another comeback. At some point a tough decision is required, and with limited list there's only so many injury prone talls we can carry.

If (gee we use that word a lot with our young talls) Reid and Cox get on the park and stay on the park this year it'll only ramp up the heat. It's a situation where if we were forced to delist Harry and someone else picked him up I'd love to see him eek out a career.

I do like the suggestion from TheGrizz as a compromise though, 1 year with a games trigger for a 2nd.
Yeah I most definitely have Gumby ptsd

I think it will be better for him if Reid and Cox see off a strong second half to the season, as it wont have the same list issues of carrying too many injured talls.
 
known injury history - back stress fracture, ankle issues, reconstruction
He seems to have 2, now 3 different injuries going on.

The first one was a rare type of stress fracture in his foot which was also his first long term injury (so no history of it as a junior). Missed 5 games and the season hiatus in 2020 (link), and then the last 7 games in 2021 because of it (link). Still managed 16 AFL games, a VFL game, a few scratch matches and a rising star nomination in those two covid-affected years. Had surgery on it at the end of 2021 (link) and we haven't heard about the foot thing since. Wouldn't be halfway surprised if a moon boot for the foot fracture caused an atrophy in the muscles/ligaments around the ankle that then caused;

The second injury is an ankle problem, which was first reported in the 2022 pre-season (link), and was then re-injured early in the season in 2022 (link, link). He played 10 consecutive games at the end of 2022 after he recovered. It then recurred in the pre-season for 2023 (link). They've taken the opportunity to send him in for surgery on the ankle now that he's got another injury to try and hit two with one stone (link). In theory the surgery should fix the problem and that should be the end of it.

Third injury is a 10-12 week back stress fracture (link). It's the first time he's had one, and it's the same stupid injury Cox and Reid have had which now has us asking Cricket Australia for help coz we're probably mismanaging them or something (link).




And even with all of that he's played as many or more games than Langford, Laverde, Redman, Francis, Ridley, Zerk-Thatcher did in their first 3 and a bit seasons. He's actually about 25th in his draft class for games played so far, which is probably a better comparison since they had the same covid impacts on their development.
 
I could see a 1 year deal with a games trigger tbh.

We certainly need to be looking at bolstering our developmental KPF stocks though.
The only issue with that is I could see someone else offer 2 even with his injury history.
 
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AFL Player #23: Harrison Jones - Clocks up 50th game v Gold Coast - 5/8

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