Zak Jones had one of his better games for St Kilda in the big win over Geelong last week, after starting the season looking underdone coming off some interruptions to his preparation. His role coming from behind stoppages suited his explosive pace, and that might be the spot that coach Ross Lyon settles him in rather than midfield rotations of previous years. With Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera on the other HBF, that would be a good mix of burst and endurance running on rebounds. Worth a look for fantasy owners if this form line holds up.
Zak Jones had one of his better games for St Kilda in the big win over Geelong last week, after starting the season looking underdone coming off some interruptions to his preparation. His role coming from behind stoppages suited his explosive pace, and that might be the spot that coach Ross Lyon settles him in rather than midfield rotations of previous years. With Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera on the other HBF, that would be a good mix of burst and endurance running on rebounds. Worth a look for fantasy owners if this form line holds up.
Zak Jones has come back into the St Kilda side after a long injury layoff to find the club firmly settled in mid-table mediocrity, a position that it surely did not expect to find when it regained the services of Ross Lyon several years ago. The list Lyon inherited got them to finals last year but 2024 has been a very different matter, and the writing is on the wall that it is time to find the next generation of midfielders. He spent time earlier in his career on a half back flank, so maybe he could aim at that to secure a best 22 spot in his twilight.
Zak Jones came to St Kilda after years at the Swans as a running half back and wingman with occasional centre rotations, but for the Saints he has been used almost exclusively in the middle with a healthy amount of centre bounce rotations. His best attribute is his speed out of the contest, one of those inside-outside mids who break lines from stoppages to deliver the ball into dangerous areas before the defence can react. Unfortunately his disposal quality in that role is not great, perhaps because he runs too fast. This makes him a flawed play for fantasy with a low floor.
Zak Jones had a signature play during his time at Sydney: handball receive from a stoppage, sprint away at full speed, then kick to the opposition. His new career at St Kilda has been much more impressive in a small sample size, however, with his disposal much more lucrative for his teammates and his workrate to get the ball even higher than when he was at the Swans. He is part of the resurrection of the Saints, and for fantasy purposes he is starting to enter the conversation, particularly in daily fantasy formats.
Zones finds new space
A common thread among the Saints' off-season arrivals is speed, and in Zak Jones they have it by the bucketload. The ex-Swan enjoyed a productive year in his sixth at the club, recording career high disposal and tackle averages, including 27 disposals and six tackles against the Hawks in round 14. He was used off half back and in midfield at times by Sydney, sometimes both in the one game. Jones will provide pace from stoppages for the revamped Saints midfield. An improved ball winner over the past few seasons as his heat map shifted toward midfield, he has jets in his legs and uses them to great effect on line-breaking runs after handball receives, albeit he can tend to sprint too fast for accurate kicking. Select in late rounds as insurance.
Zak doesn't attack
Following a career-best season, Zak Jones disappointed many coaches in 2018 by dropping his average by over 10 points. The defensive midfielder thrived in the spitter role in 2017 coming off the back of the square, but played almost exclusive as an accountable half back last season. His biggest drop came in tackles, averaging the lowest over his last four years. Jones’ trademark is his run and aggression, and ideally, he’d be able to use that more through the midfield. Unfortunately John Longmire is yet to agree, and has focused the hard-hitter’s talents on rebounding. Examine Jones’ positioning over the preseason. If he’s indicated at more midfield rotations, he presents value. A pick in the middle rounds is sufficient.
Zak attacks from the back
After primarily sitting on small forwards in preceding seasons Zak Jones was released into the spitter role in 2017, launching off the back of the square to break lines, which directly correlated with an increase in disposals to bang on 20. Despite his signature move being the handball receive, he also more than doubled his mark tally. Jones has cemented his position in the Swans’ starting line-up and, despite concussion and ankle issues in the season prior, he didn’t miss a beat last season. Jones turns 23 this year and still has plenty of room left for improvement if he continues to be gifted midfield minutes. Look to draft him in the middle rounds.
