Could Gija footy veteran Liam Jones be on the cusp of an AFL comeback?

Guest Author Published July 12, 2022 at 8.05am (AWST)

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Essendon is believed to be circling an Indigenous AFL veteran who called time on his career early due to COVID vaccine mandates last year as the embattled club seeks to revive its halcyon days.

Prior to a 10-point victory at the Gabba against the COVID-struck Brisbane Lions on Sunday, Bombers list manager Adrian Dodoro was pictured sitting with banished AFL veteran Liam Jones in an alfresco area of a Gold Coast coffee shop.

Other AFL recruiters that are also on the Gold Coast for a national under-16 carnival are believed to be keen to meet Jones.

The Gija man, 31, who grew up in Tasmania has sat out the past two AFL seasons over his refusal to abide by a vaccine mandate but has refused to rule out a comeback.

"In my opinion, I feel like I've still got my best football ahead of me," Jones told media earlier this year.

Jones called his own retirement last November following 95 appearances for Carlton and a further 66 at the Western Bulldogs despite having one more year to run on his lucrative contract at the Blues.

The AFL is expected to relax vaccination rules next year which could pave a way for the tall defender's return.

"I've been training really hard, and I feel like I'm as fit as I've ever been," Jones said.

Jones, as an unrestricted free agent, could be an easy get for the Bombers compared to poaching Gold Coast livewire Isak Rankine.

The club is rumoured to have offered the Kokatha and Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia a deal worth up to $4 million across the next five seasons.

But with the two clubs forced to wrangle in an unlikely trade, the 22-year-old is set to sign with the Suns beyond 2022.

"We're in good discussions with Izak, so we'd like to think we can get that done pretty soon," Dew told Fox Footy this week.

"There's always going to be clubs chasing players and clearly with the football he's playing, there's teams knocking on the door.

"But I think Izak's really comfortable with us and we feel like we're a really good fit for him."

Essendon had worked hard at the end of last season to secure Bobby Hill from the clutches of Greater Western Sydney.

The Noongar man, who is cousins with Bradley and Stephen Hill, is out of contract at the Giants and back on the Bombers' radar.

But football may not be Hill's highest priority for this year, according to his manager Colin Young, after the forward underwent surgery for testicular cancer last month.

"We'll catch up with Bobby and see where he fits at probably the end of Round 20 to see where it all goes," Young told SEN radio in Melbourne last week.

Essendon is looking at ways to turnaround its fortunes after years of struggles since the 2013 doping scandal and its failure to win a final since 2005.

The last great era at Windy Hill was in the decade that the club drafted 10 Aboriginal recruits that proved to be the backbone behind its 1993 and 2000 AFL premierships.