During the Tamworth Swans' round nine demolition of the Moree Suns, the midfielder landed awkwardly after kicking the ball and severely damaged his knee.

"I just kicked the ball and landed a bit funny, and then simultaneously got hit at the same time," Jones said.

"And then the knee went further, so I did further damage.

"I did my ACL, MCL, LCL, meniscus, and I had a Baker's cyst as well, so basically blew the whole knee out."

The severity of the damage forced him to the sidelines for nearly 18 months - the longest Jones has ever gone without playing football.

Fortunately, shortly prior to his injury, Jones and his wife, Georgia, welcomed their daughter Mila into the world.

The timing was ideal as, instead of succumbing to the depression which can often afflict athletes laid low by injury, Jones was able to focus on fatherhood.

"I was pretty lucky in a way," he said.

"My wife would say something different, because I was pretty useless there for a while (laughs). But it gave her the opportunity to go and play netball, she played for the Swans last year, and it was nice. I could take Mila and support Georgia that way.

"It worked out okay, but by the same token I missed [football] a lot."

The road to recovery has been long and arduous for Jones, but luckily his experience as an exercise physiologist came in handy as he oversaw much of his own rehab - although that knowledge came with its own burdens.

"I was probably at stages my own worst enemy," Jones said.

"You want to get to certain stages at the right time, and I probably advanced a little bit quick. But certainly that factor helped to keep me on track, and it helped me to understand patients and clients a lot better."

Though his knee still requires some fine-tuning, Jones expects to be back on the field in time for the Swans' first round game in April.

That injury was by far the worst that Jones has experienced in a lifetime of playing Aussie Rules. The 26-year-old's earliest memories involve a football, and during his youth he was a member of the Greater Western Sydney Giants Academy.

With over 150 games for the Holbrook Brookers (the primary club in the town where he grew up), Jones is one of the most experienced players on the Swans' list.

2022 will be his final in Tamworth before he relocates to Albury Wodonga for work, and in that time Jones will look to put his knowledge of the game to work as the third member of the Swans coaching staff.

"I wanted to give something back, and this being my last year in Tamworth I wanted to give them my all," he said.

"For me, taking a step back was a big thing, and I wanted to give back to the club that's given so much to me and my family, so I'm really looking forward to it."

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