Is Liam Jones one of the most impactful recruits in recent AFL memory?
Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne thinks he could be in the conversation in terms of immediate impact at a new club alongside the likes of Gary Ablett Jr, Lance Franklin and Patrick Dangerfield.
Jones joined the Western Bulldogs in the off-season as an unrestricted free agent after quitting Carlton before the 2022 season due to his stance on COVID-19 vaccination.
Hoyne believes Jones’ immediate impact upon re-joining the Dogs, the club he started his career with, is as good as just about any in terms of first-season influence.
“I was having this thought over the weekend watching the Dogs play Adelaide,” Hoyne told SEN Sportsday.
“For me, the three biggest trades over the last 15 years since 2010 have been (Gary) Ablett Jr to Gold Coast clearly, (Lance) Franklin to Sydney clearly and (Patrick) Dangerfield to Geelong.
“Those are three absolute walk-up Hall of Famers, possibly legends.
“I got me thinking, ‘Who's the fourth player to have the most immediate impact in the first season (after a trade)?’, not the second or third season but the first season.
“To me, I reckon Liam Jones is almost in that conversation for the impact that he has had on his team in his first season.”
Hoyne revealed the statistics that have him singing Jones’ praises so loudly with the 32-year-old completely revolutionising the club’s defensive profile.
“The Dogs have been offensively strong for four or five years, but the question has been, can they hold up behind the ball with what they've got down back? That’s from a key defender point of view,” Hoyne said.
“Last year, there was no easier team to beat in a one-on-one contest than the Dogs, but this year there’s no team that's harder to beat in a one-on-one contest than the Dogs.
“Liam Jones has been involved in 34 one-on-one contests and he’s been out marked twice, it’s incredible.
“They've gone from being a team that's been so easy to move the ball against to now they've improved that facet of the game so much this year.
“Their defensive profile is extraordinary, they're now the fourth hardest team to score against once inside 50 but last year they were fourth easiest.”
With the Bulldogs now sitting in 6th with a 7-3 record, Hoyne says Jones could be that player that unlocks the side in a way that great defenders have for their respective sides in the last 10 years.
“All of the best teams over the last 10 to 15 years, they've had that roadblock behind the ball,” Hoyne said.
“Whether that be Tom Stewart last year, Jake Lever in 2021, Jeremy McGovern (in 2018), Alex Rance (in 2017) and Josh Gibson (in Hawthorn’s three-peat) … the best have had that roadblock behind the ball.
“The Dogs have never had it, but they’ve got it now and this guy covers for so many with his ability to be able to impact from an intercept point of view and a defensive point of view is off the charts at the moment.
“It’s why the Dogs are a totally different prospect this year compared to last.”
Jones and the Bulldogs will hope to keep up their strong form when they face the Suns at TIO Stadium on Saturday night.
Listen to the full chat with Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne below