The teenager is expected to join North Launceston young gun Tarryn Thomas in being called out on draft night later this year – ending Tasmania’s barren spell of one draftee in two years.

“This year we’ve got a good group,” Jones told the AFL website.

“You see things in the media about Tassie having no draft picks or not having this or that, and it becomes a bit of a motivator to show that it’s not a poor place for AFL players coming through.

“Being with Tarryn, we’ve been able to share our thoughts and give each other a bit of confidence.

Having recovered by the end of last season, Jones trained strongly over the summer and impressed at January’s high-performance training camp in America.

The former Kings Meadows High student said he was looking forward to recapturing his best form for the Blues this year. 

“I was playing some of the best footy I ever had, and then the injury came along.

“The hardest part was that I was really confident in myself at the time, so there was obviously disappointment at missing so much footy.”