Brad Jones

Brad Jones is a wonderfully loyal Queensland footballer whose extraordinary playing record has been over-ridden, perhaps unfairly, by his quiet, modest and unassuming personality. He should be more highly rated. After all, he played 266 seniors games and won seven B&F awards with three different clubs, won the 1999 Grogan Medal and with a few extra votes could have had an astonishing five.

A Springwood junior, he played from U8s to Colts at Morningside before his QAFL debut as a 17-year-old in 1990. Thereafter he played seniors at Coorparoo from 1990-93, Mt.Gravatt 1994-99 and Redland 2000-05.

A classy and high-possession rover, he represented Queensland in 1992-94-95-98, and in the 1994-95 off-season earned a trial with the Brisbane Bears, narrowly missing a senior list opportunity. He took B&F honors at Coorparoo in 1991, Mt.Gravatt in 1994-95-96-99 and Redland 2001-02, and completed an extraordinary list of 12 top three placings when he was runner-up in 1990-97-2005 and third in 1992-93. And that despite a knee reconstruction that wiped out virtually his entire 2000 season. But it was in the Grogan Medal that he could easily have achieved something unparalleled in senior football right across the country. Winner of the QAFL’s No.1 individual award in 1999, he finished second no less than four times in 1992-94-96-2002. He was runner-up by a vote than three times, and once missed out by two votes. Twice he finished second with 22 votes – enough to win it on most other occasions. And he finished three votes behind the leader in 1993.

The only thing missing from his CV was a premiership – he was a member of Mt.Gravatt’s losing grand final sides in 1996-97. Married to former world triathlon champion and Olympic silver medalist Loretta Harrop, he retired temporarily in 2003 to travel the world with her but returned the same year to resume his QAFL career and climb to 8th on the League’s all-time games list before finally hanging up the boots aged 33 in 2004.