Shane Jones announced his retirement from Premier Cricket at Footscray Edgewater’s presentation night. 71603 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By MICHAEL ESPOSITO
SHANE Jones believes he is leaving Footscray Edgewater at a time when the club is on the cusp of a prolonged period of success.
The off-spinner announced his retirement from Premier Cricket at the Bulldogs’ presentation night, 12 years after joining the club as a 16-year-old.
“It got to a point I was thinking what to do with my career and decided to step back from cricket a little bit, and the body was kicking a little bit too,” Jones said.
He will join some old high school mates at VTCA club St Albans next season. “Playing at premier level you’re playing as a professional sportsman at an amateur level.
It will be a lot less of a commitment playing for St Albans.”
Jones’s performances certainly didn’t wane in his final year of district cricket. He took 17 wickets during the season and made a career-high 84 in Round 15, in a memorable partnership with rising star Dylan Kight.
“We took it up to the bowlers that game, in tough conditions. Luck was on my side that day,” Jones said.
“They’re the things you look back on. Maybe I batted with Dylan Kight in my second last innings just before he set off for a great State career.”
Jones said Kight was one of several young players who can turn Footscray Edgewater into a formidable team for years to come.
“If you look at guys like Dylan Kight, Travis Dean and Tallan Wright, they’re guys that are 19-20 years-old, they’re just starting their careers but they’re phenomenal players.
“If you keep a core group of youngsters together for an extended period of time like a lot of the more successful premier teams such as Melbourne or Carlton or even a Prahran, they’re going to get a lot of success.”
Jones played the 2007-’08 and 2008-’09 seasons with Prahran, and played with St Albans for a year while grappling with a shoulder injury, but has always considered Footscray Edgewater his home.
“It’s basically been half my life. It’s been a second home to me for the past decade, and I’ve made lifetime friends through cricket, guys I’ve played with for 10 years, the likes of Brad Robertson, Dean Russ, Mick Kelliher, Greg Sheehan and Andrew MacCammond.
“They’re really good friends of mine and they will be forever.
“I’ve had a ball the whole time I’ve been there, and I don’t regret anything.”
