St Kilda midfielder Zak Jones granted personal leave on eve of 2022 AFL season

St Kilda star Zak Jones has been granted leave for personal and wellbeing reasons on the eve of the 2022 AFL season, 7NEWS.com.au can reveal.

The Saints are due to face Essendon in their final pre-season hit-out on Saturday night before their home-and-away season begins on March 18 against Collingwood at the MCG.

Sources say Jones has not trained this week and it is unclear when he will return to the program.

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“Zak’s welfare is the number one priority and he will be given as much time as he needs, with the full support of the club,” St Kilda executive Simon Lethlean said.

Jones’s absence on the field stands to be a blow for the Saints.

The highly respected midfielder was one of their best players in last week’s practice match against Carlton.

Jones, who turns 27 three days before St Kilda’s opening game of the season, missed almost two months in the middle of last season with a quad injury but returned to play the final seven rounds.

He is entering his third season at Moorabbin following a move from the Sydney Swans at the end of 2019.

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