The Club wishes to advise the passing of past player Malcolm ‘Emmy’ Jones
Malcolm Jones was an extremely talented full forward who graced the Sturt teams of the mid-sixties when the Double Blues were establishing themselves as the SANFL pacesetters.
After leaving Unley High School, ‘Emmy’ Jones first made a name for himself as an amateur with University during which time (1963) he represented the SAAFL state team. A fortuitous change in the league boundaries in 1962 meant Jones suddenly became a Sturt player and he arrived unannounced one night and asked if he could train with the club.
A consistently accurate shot for goal with the drop punt, Jones debuted on 15th May 1965 in Round Five and soon established himself as Sturt’s full-forward of choice. He kept his spot and played in Sturt’s losing Grand Final team (scoring six goals) later that year. Over the next two seasons he was an integral part of the Sturt line-up and played in the first two premierships in the club’s run of five straight flags (1966-70).
In the 1966 Grand Final, Jones kicked eight goals in the Double Blues famous scorecard of 16-16 (112) to Port Adelaide 8-8 (56). Jones kicked a club record nineteen goals during the 1966 finals series and topped Sturt’s goalkicking in each of his first two seasons but injuries in 1967 saw Malcolm Greenslade (54) head the goals list. However, Jones was back in the goalsquare for the Premiership victory over Port and the end-of-season clash with Carlton which saw Sturt victorious by 41 points (Jones, five goals).
Jones began 1968 in excellent form and was chosen to represent South Australia against Victoria in Melbourne. He wasn’t to know it then but his career was over. A broken leg in the state match ruled him out for the year and he never again played football for Sturt.
Despite the brevity of his career, when Jack Oatey finally retired, after 21 seasons in charge, he named his best Sturt team from the players he had coached. ‘Emmy’ Jones was chosen at full forward ahead of state representatives Malcolm Greenslade (215 games, 607 goals) and Ken Whelan (126 games, 441 goals) who both had far more extensive Sturt careers as the key forward during this time.
Off field, Malcolm Jones was a pioneer of the computer industry in Adelaide working as a software designer and developer (like his Sturt teammate Rick Schoff). In recent years, Jones has suffered from dementia and his death, though sad and shocking, was not entirely unexpected.
1965 – 68 (57 games, 208 goals)