When Jake Aarts runs on to the MCG on Sunday to make his AFL debut with Richmond, Aussie Jones will be watching with pride.
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Nine years ago, Aarts wasn't in the elite junior pathway and was running around for the Beaconsfield under-17s.
The next year he followed Jones to Bendigo to play in the VFL with the Bendigo Gold.
Two years later the Gold folded, but Aarts performances in Bendigo's midfield and forward line caught the eye of Richmond's VFL coaches and he joined the Tigers.
The 25-year-old's hard work was rewarded this week when Richmond coach Damien Hardwick announced he would make his senior debut against Melbourne.
"Honest is the first word that springs to mind about Jake. That's about the biggest wrap you can give a kid when you coach them,'' Jones said on Friday.
"If a player is honest they'll get the best out of themselves. He's the sort of kid that does more when people aren't watching, in terms of training and preparing himself, than he does when he's at training.
"He's done the hard yards and he's come from a long way back considering he didn't go through the TAC Cup system. Everything he gets he's done himself. It's amazing. I'm pretty proud of him."
Jones still remembers the first time he saw Aarts play at Beaconsfield.
One game of under-17 football was all he needed to watch to know that Aarts had that special something.
"In round one he played in the under-17s and I wanted him in the seniors straight after that,'' Jones recalled.
"He was small, but I thought he was good enough because he was quick, he was tough and I knew he wouldn't avoid the contest.
"He dominated and I think he was runner-up in our senior best and fairest."
Jones didn't want to be seen as biased, so he left the decision on whether Aarts would make the Gold's list up to his assistants.
"Within a couple of weeks of training, and as soon as we did some physical stuff, (assistant coaches) Daniel Schmidt and Mark Adamson wanted to sign him up,'' Jones said.
"He just earns the respect of people straight away."
That's why Jones has little doubt that the Richmond faithful will quickly take to the livewire small forward.
"On Sunday he'll bring that uncompromising attack on the footy and the man. He'll have an impact on the game even if he doesn't get a lot of possessions,'' Jones said.
It's the same reason Aarts' former Bendigo Gold team-mates will get a kick out of watching play on the "G".
"Jake was a popular little fella,'' Jones said.
"His Gold team-mates will be thrilled. I know a lot of them stay in touch and I'm sure they'll get together for a beer on Sunday to watch the game.
"Well, they'll get together in groups of five anyway."
Jones, who has coached Bunyip in Gippsland for the past three years, still looks back on his time in Bendigo fondly.
"I loved my time with the Gold,'' he said.
"I keep in touch with a few of the boys and I speak to (former club president) Tim Dickson regularly.
"I loved the playing group. They knew where we sat, but they gave everything and got the best out of themselves.
"Our results weren't great, but you have to remember we were playing against teams with 12 or 14 AFL-listed players that were full-time.
"Our players were super in the way they went about it."
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