For Jamaine Jones, this year is all about maintaining ferocious forward pressure.
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The Geelong young gun, who grew up in Heywood, debuted for the Cats in 2018, with his standout game coming in round 11 against Sydney, when he laid 11 tackles.
But with Western Bulldogs premiership player Luke Dahlhaus and former Sydney speedster Gary Rohan joining the forward line, Jones, 20, said there was healthy competition from within.
“I think they can give us what we need right now – extra experience, height and pace,” he said.
“But it's also good for me, because it means I have to really fight for my spot. The goal this year is to piece together more senior games and develop consistency.”
While tonsil surgery made for a slight speed bump this pre-season, Jones said he was rapt to have a seat at the Geelong AFLW side’s historic one-point win over Collingwood in front of more than 18,000 people last week.
“There was a great turnout and they really put on a show,” he said. “It was amazing for the girls, the club and the whole community.”
And next week Jones will visit Warrnambool alongside teammates Tom Hawkins, Sam Menegola, Jed Bews, Ryan Abbott, Jack Henry, Wylie Buzza, Jordan Cunico, Nathan Krueger, Oscar Brownless and Stefan Okunbor.
“I’m excited to get back down there and mingle with everyone,” he said.
“And it’s not far from home, so hopefully a few kids from Heywood come along.”
Geelong will host its engagement day at Lake Pertobe from 4-6pm on Tuesday.
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