ARTY Jones realised on the drive home to Brunswick from the MCG - after kicking four goals in his first final - that he couldn't leave. Not now. Not after that. Essendon and Brisbane were chasing him. Less than a fortnight later, the livewire forward re-committed to the Western Bulldogs. 

The Whitten Oval is where Jones wants to establish himself as not just an Indigenous leader inside the club and across the community, but also where he wants to develop into one of the best small forwards in the AFL to force All-Australian selectors to ponder what size blazer he wears in future. 

Jones received longer term and more lucrative offers to depart the Kennel. He weighed up all his options across the second half of the season, before signing a three-year contract to extend his time in red, white and blue until the end of 2029.

After playing only 16 senior games across his first four seasons at the club, Jones entered 2026 on a one-year deal. It was make or potentially break. And he produced a breakout season. 

The 23-year-old played 20 games under Luke Beveridge in 2026, including both finals, finishing with 27 goals to his name. So why did he stay?

"I always felt like there was a part of me that knew I wasn't going to leave. Essendon's offer and Brisbane's offer I thought was very close and it was entertaining for a while there. The decision of where I wanted to go was up in the air for a while. But I think there was a part of me that knew I wasn't going to leave. It was just what was the best option for me and what was the best option for my partner? Bulldogs was the best choice," Jones told AFL.com.au.

"My partner [Olivia Varrone] helped me off-field as much as anything and, you know, when you handle a lot of things off-field it becomes easier and there's less stress. I just tried to play my best footy. And I just knew every week that I could get a little bit better. The final month of footy… that was fun.

"The excitement of what I can give back to the Dogs was probably the over looming part, you know. I’m excited by what we can do and what we can build over the next few years and what we can achieve."

Jones played finals last year, just in the VFL, where Footscray went all the way. Beveridge picked him against Fremantle in the crucial round 24 game and he rewarded the coach with two second-half goals as the sub to inject a healthy dose of self-belief into his summer.

Entering this year’s AFL finals series, Jones was the focus of trade speculation. But instead of succumbing to the pressure, the Mt Barker product delivered in his first final, kicking 4.2 from 17 disposals to help the Bulldogs beat Collingwood in the wildcard game, before kicking two goals in the elimination final loss to Adelaide.  

"Oh that does a lot [for me going forward], that does fuel my belief the wildcard final. I felt like throughout the year I was doing this better, doing that better, and I felt like the wildcard final I just put all the pieces that I've been trying to work on this this year, put it all together and played a full four quarters," Jones said.

"For my confidence that takes me to one, I can play finals footy, but two, I think that was a definite belief of myself that, yeah, OK, cool, I belong at this level; I knew I belong in this team. But I think that was the deciding moment where I was like, OK, I don't really want to leave this club; I think I can really make an impact. 

"Now it just makes me want to work hard this off season and then see what I can do next year. You know it's all just a stepping stone, so now I want to come back bigger, faster and stronger next year."

Nick Watson was rewarded for a career year with maiden All-Australian selection after kicking 55 goals to be the best small forward of 2026. Hybrid mid-forwards Kysaiah Pickett, Shai Bolton and Zac Bailey were all named for a second time. That’s where Jones wants to get to in future. 

"100 per cent, I think I should be aiming for small little increments of getting better. I think I could definitely become top five, top ten small forwards in the comp," Jones said. 

"I've done a few games where I've shown that and now it's just about being consistent and getting stronger, getting fitter, getting faster – it’s all the little things – but I definitely feel like I could do this and I could become the most dangerous small forward in the comp in future."

Pickett and Bolton were two of a record five First Nations players selected in the All-Australian team last month, along with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Jarman Impey and Wayne Milera. 

Now that Jones has found his feet at AFL level, the proud Yamatji and Menang Noongar man wants to be an Indigenous leader at the Western Bulldogs and, by extension, across the western suburbs of Melbourne. 

"Being an indigenous leader, I feel like that that kind of comes easy to me. You know, I'm so proud about my culture, I'm so loud about my culture that; [In] Sir Doug Nicholls Round this year the Carlton boys wanted to do a dance and I only just got a heads up [before the game]. But I want to be the biggest advocate I can for my culture and something so little as me dancing has a wider impact around Australia for my community," he said.

"I just want to grow the space from the Bulldogs perspective to grow the Indigenous space and be more welcoming for other Indigenous players that want to come and join us. The cultural awareness for the clubs making Indigenous players feel more safe once leaving their homes, because there is a decrease in Indigenous players throughout the comp. I think it starts very much in the club where we need to create a safe space. So if we do decide to, you know, draft an Indigenous kid that they feel safe, their needs are met, they feel as at home as possible. I think that's something that we can create throughout the league, you know, and eventually the numbers will start rising again.

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"And having five Indigenous people in the All-Australian side, that's just more inspirational for me. I feel like that's very achievable in the next three to four or five years; it's definitely a goal of mine to be All-Australian, but you know seeing all the brothers there just makes you want it even more."

Living under the same roof in the converted warehouse Cody Weightman owns in Brunswick, Jones was inspired by watching his housemate slowly put his knee back together across 18 months and then start to reignite his career in the closing months of this season.

"His story itself is incredible. Having a knee injury and not knowing when to get back has his first run this year, and then all of a sudden, he plays the last 12 games; that's just phenomenal," he said.

"He was a dangerous small forward and he can get back to being a dangerous small forward. We just bounce ideas off each other. And then once he came back, I felt like my game grew a bit more with him out there. His game can grow to another level as well with a full pre-season. But it was phenomenal to have him back."

Sam Darcy will completely change the structure of the forward line when he returns from a knee reconstruction early next season. Then there is Zak Butters, who informed the Western Bulldogs on Friday of his desire to move to the Whitten Oval in October.  

"I mean, selfishly, he's made the right choice, hasn’t he? He's coming back home to the Dogs, as long as a deal can get sorted in the trade period," Jones said. 

"I think that could take us to another level with another dangerous midfielder; they have to watch out for Marcus [Bontempelli] for Ed [Richards] and Matt Kennedy and now Butters if it all works out; we've got so many so many dangerous midfielders now. He's already flipped me a message, so I'm absolutely stoked to get to work with him."

Life changed for Jones across 2026. People stopped him at cafes and in the street. Now his future is secure, the question is how far can the speedy small forward from Mt Barker take his career?