More on Williamstown’s Jasper Jones

Kim also asked:

I find it odd that Jasper Jones only played one season with Carlton and then went back to Williamstown.  Was he perhaps not up to standard for Carlton?

My reply:

I don’t think he wasn’t up to it at Carlton at all. They would have retained him for sure as he was a fine player. It looks like Williamstown probably offered him the captaincy to return. The fact that he was also married in 1887 is significant. Many players retired after marriage at this time, but perhaps in Jasper’s case Williamstown also offered some additional financial security (perhaps he got a promotion in the Railways around this time, or secured a better job in that company, or indeed may have purchased a house with some help of the club). 1888 was an important year for Williamstown because a local rival South Williamstown, after 2 years in the VFA, folded and many of its better players went to Williamstown.

1888 was probably one of the few times in its early history that Williamstown FC had a bit of money to throw around. The captaincy was a highly regarded position as the captain was virtually the coach (before coaches officially emerged). Jasper would have directed his men on the field. Likely after 1889 Williamstown went into financial decline and could not continue to maintain Jasper Jones in a style he was accustomed to. But clearly he was always a ‘Williamstown man’ and stuck with the club. I think, like other players from lowly clubs he wanted to play for a big club like Carlton, but probably only to ‘taste’ what it was like. The offer of the captaincy and some other inducement(s) helped him return to the blue and yellow. If he had to pick a club and year to go he couldn’t have done better than joining Carlton. The 1887 Carlton premiership side was a great outfit with some superb players. I don’t think Jasper was a bit player in this success and he well and truly earned a place in football history by being a member of that team. After 1887 Carlton didn’t win another premiership for 20 years! Jasper also played a game for Victoria, which was certainly a feather in his cap. I would put Jasper Jones in Williamstown’s all time greatest 20 but 19th century players are not as highly regarded as they should be these days because so little is known about most of them.