Chayce Jones won praise from Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks after making his long-awaited AFL return at the weekend.
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Into his third season with the Crows, the 21-year-old was consigned to the SANFL for the first eight weeks of the season before a switch to defence helped him recapture his best form.
The former Launceston talent collected 19 touches in the five-goal loss to West Coast on Sunday and showed enough to keep his spot for Saturday's meeting with unbeaten Melbourne.
"Chayce Jones behind the footy ... that's something else we've been looking at for him to step up to AFL level," Crows coach Matthew Nicks said.
"For him to be up to the speed, use the ball well and defend - there were some really positive signs."
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In the VFL, ex-North Launceston talent Jay Lockhart staked a claim for his first senior outing of 2021, collecting 18 touches and six marks in Casey's one-point win over Geelong.
North Melbourne suffered another huge defeat, losing to Box Hill by 108 points, but was served well by its Tasmanian contingent.
Harrison Gunther (18 possessions, seven marks) continued his top form with Elijah Reardon (18 touches, six marks) also bright on debut and Tom Donnelly solid with 12 touches and four marks.
The Roos beat Box Hill by eight points in the VFLW with Launceston's Daria Bannister (18 touches, nine tackles) and Brooke Brown (15 disposals) dominant.