St Kilda tagger Clinton Jones grew up in Munster, 10 minutes south of Fremantle with his parents, two sisters and younger brother. "We were always just playing sports, plenty of footy and I enjoyed water sports and we’d go swimming. We had a boat too so a lot of boating and fishing as well. We just enjoyed a lot of sun and beaches. When I was younger we used to go on camping trips to Rottnest Island or we’d head out Mandurah way and go crabbing."

Coming from a family of mad footy supporters, Jones had no choice but to embrace Australian football as a kid. "My dad played footy for East Fremantle in the WAFL, and my grandad played for South Fremantle - rival clubs. Mum supported South Fremantle as well and then when the Eagles came into the AFL, they supported West Coast but everyone was always a little bit footy mad in my house."

Living in the west, it’s no surprise Jones grew up barracking for West Coast. "I used to love watching Peter Matera play. I still remember the 1992 grand final when he kicked five goals and had an amazing game, so he was my hero. I had a few posters of him up around the house."

Jones started playing footy when he was six years old at South Coogee FC and could often be found out the front of the house kicking the footy with his younger brother. But once a week they’d ditch the footy and head to the water. "Around the corner from my house there’s a water ski park which is on a lake so me and my brother and a couple of mates used to go water skiing once a week. At one point we had a ski boat so that was one of our hobbies and because we went so often, I ended up getting pretty good but I haven’t done if for a year or two."

A determined youngster, Jones knew from a young age he wanted to play AFL. It took him a little longer to achieve his dream but finally at the ripe old age of 22 he was rookie-listed to St Kilda in 2006. "When you’re in primary school and you’re growing up, you see your idols playing AFL, so it was always in my head that I wanted to play AFL. But as you know I didn’t get drafted until I was 22 so it didn’t really work out exactly as I’d planned. There was a time there when I thought this isn’t going to happen for me but it was always my dream to play AFL."

Jones caught the eyes of St Kilda recruiters with his stellar performances for South Fremantle in the WAFL. He won the club best and fairest in 2005 and 2006, as well as being part of the 2005 premiership side. "I pretty much just decided, 'I’m going to enjoy my footy at South Fremantle with my mates. I’ll play as well as I can and give it my best shot out there and see what happens'. I heard there was a bit of interest so I thought if I played the best footy I can and just wait and see which clubs were interested and it was just lucky enough that I got rookie-listed by St Kilda."

At the end of 2006, Jones left his job at an irrigation company and farewelled his family and friends to pursue his AFL dream at St Kilda. "You think it’d be great to get drafted. Then when you do get drafted and you have to move away from your family and friends, then it hits you that it’s really happening and you almost have to start a fresh life. When I first moved out I got put in a house with Sam Gilbert and we lived together for a little while, and then after about six months I moved out and my girlfriend moved over so we moved into a unit. Probably the hardest part was having to start cooking for myself and washing and all that kind of stuff I hadn’t really done before living at home."

While the 26-year-old midfielder has come to love Melbourne for its nightlife and food culture, he still misses the beaches and the weather the west has to offer and often returns home for a visit. "It gets pretty cold in Melbourne and we’re not used to that over in Perth. The things you miss the most are the beaches and the weather but I went back in the mid-season break and Christmas. I get back there a couple of times a year but my mum and dad come over for five or six games a year as well and my mates come over when they can."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.