Jones not budging on jab but Blues hold out hope

Veteran Carlton defender Liam Jones was not budging on Thursday from his position to stay unvaccinated against COVID despite the club’s efforts to persuade the 30-year-old to abide by the AFL’s jab policy.

Sources familiar with the situation said that Jones stance was driven by his strong views on the issue and although the Blues remained hopeful he would change his mind they respected his right to choose.

Refusal: Liam Jones.Credit:Getty Images

Carlton are taking a welfare-based view of Jones’ circumstances, attempting to gently persuade the well-respected member of their list to be vaccinated rather than condemning his stance.

But Jones stands to potentially lose three-quarters of his estimated $400,000 salary in 2022 in the event he does not get vaccinated before he is due to return to training in December, with the club having no wiggle room if he does not want to abide by the AFL’s policy.

If Jones does not get vaccinated he will be banned from training or attending the club under the AFL’s ‘no-jab, no-play’ vaccination policy, which requires all AFL and AFLW players to be fully vaccinated before the season starts with those at Victorian clubs needing to be double vaccinated to train in December.

The Blues could put Jones on an inactive list if he does not return, where he would be paid 25 per cent of the minimum wage under the agreement struck between the league and the AFL Players Association, which is approximately $23,000. He would also be paid for the first 36 days of this year’s contract that began on November 1, which is approximately $40,000.

If the Blues and Jones went down that route then the club would be able to use the money it did not spend on Jones’ contract to either prepay one of their contracted players or bank the money to potentially create space in the salary cap next season.

They could also replace Jones via the pre-season supplemental selection period or the mid-season draft. The club and player could also mutually agree via negotiation to end the contract or, after May 18, the club could move to exercise their rights to terminate Jones’ contract if he was refusing to be vaccinated.

However, the Blues, despite their pragmatism, remain fervent in their hope Jones, who is a key player in defence and rated highly as an excellent intercept mark, will change his mind and remain as they look to make finals under new coach Michael Voss.

The Blues recently recruited former Western Bulldog Lewis Young in the trade period to play in defence and are also set to deploy ex-Crow Mitch McGovern in the back line as he looks to revitalise his career after several poor seasons at Carlton.

The Blues had a massive overhaul of their football department after missing finals again in 2021 with senior coach David Teague and CEO Cain Liddle removed after the arrival of new president Luke Sayers.

Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.

Share this post