Former Swans and Saints midfielder, Zak Jones, has announced his retirement from the AFL via social media.
Jones played 164 games over 12 seasons in the AFL; 90 with Sydney, who drafted him with Pick 15 in the 2013 National Draft. He would then request a move home to Victoria in 2019 and ultimately play 74 games for St Kilda.
The hard-nosed midfielder battled with injury woes during his time at Moorabbin to be kept to no more than 16 games in a single season, with that tally coming in his first year as a Saint in 2020.
Jones' best seasons came in the shortened 2020 and 2021 campaigns, with the midfielder notably polling a career-high 37 coaches votes in the first COVID-affected year as St Kilda made a post-season berth.
Jones was just as influential in 2021, averaging a career-high 23.4 disposals, 4.2 clearances and 5.3 score involvements per game.
The retirement call comes after St Kilda decided not to offer Jones a new contract for the 2026 season, with the midfielder one of the many players delisted as the Moorabbin-based outfit's playing list undergoes an overhaul.
Jones released the following statement as he confirmed his decision to hang up the boots.
"I've taken my time to write this, because it's not easy to say, but it's time for me to move on," Jones wrote on Instagram.
"Thank you to the Sydney Swans for giving a kid from Melbourne the chance to live out his dream. Leaving home was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it ended up shaping me in ways I'll always be grateful for the club, the culture, the people.
"Thank you to St Kilda for welcoming me home, to the club I grew up barracking for, and to the few people who made it feel like family from the moment I walked in.
"If I'm being honest, my career didn't finish with the fairy tale I once imagined. There were unbelievable highs, moments I'll carry with me forever… but there were also lows that tested me more than I ever expected.
"At times it broke me down, but it also taught me who I am. And what I'm most proud of is that I never stopped fighting. No matter what was thrown at me, I kept showing up.
"To everyone I met along the way — teammates, staff, supporters, friends — thank you. You lifted me through some of the best moments of my life and stood by me through the hardest. I'll never forget that.
"I don't know exactly what comes next, and that's scary, but it's also exciting. A new chapter starts now and I'm ready for it."
