Dogs livewire 'living a dream' after final-quarter heroics

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CARLTON hit the lead with six minutes remaining against the Western Bulldogs and with the home crowd behind the team, looked set for a remarkable comeback victory.

But no one told livewire Bulldogs forward Arthur Jones.

The 19-year-old kicked a stunning snap goal while running towards the boundary, away from the sticks, and the Dogs were never headed.

But he wasn't done yet.

Ninety seconds later, it was Jones' sharp handball that found Bailey Smith for another goal, before winning a crucial contest in the middle with a tight spin out of trouble that ended in a Jamarra Ugle-Hagan major.

The Dogs were home, with Jones' seven last-quarter disposals (to take his tally to a career-high 14) key to the win.

Arty Jones shows all his skills with a sensational snap on the run

"Going into the last quarter, I was pretty nervous, but I was pretty excited, to be honest. I knew we were up for a fight, and I knew the team and the support I had behind me, we were down to fight," Jones told AFL.com.au after the game.

"[My goal was] just excitement, to be honest. As soon as it left my boot, I knew it was going in, and I yelled as loud as I could, but obviously the crowd yelled louder.

"Bevo's (coach Luke Beveridge) message at three-quarter time was just throw the first punch, stay strong, stay together and fight hard. We stuck to the basics, and it's what got the job done."

Jones was selected with pick No.43 in the 2021 AFL Draft, making his debut in round three this year after a minor, late-preseason groin injury meant he was unavailable for the club's season-opener.

He kicked three behinds (with a few additional missed shots) before his first goal, which came late in his fifth game, against Hawthorn.

Jones now has four goals to his name from seven matches, and you couldn't wipe the wide grin from his face after the win over the Blues if you tried.

"It's definitely a footy curse, takes a while, but once you get that first one out of the way, the doors to goal start to open up a bit," he said.

"It is a dream come true. Watching on TV as a child, you hear the crowd, and then actually playing, it's so much better. It's so special as well.

"It's just fun, so fun. I'm just laughing, it's a dream come true to put on a guernsey every day. It's exciting, I'm living a dream and loving the moment."

The forward pressure from the likes of Jones, Cody Weightman and the taller Ugle-Hagan was obvious throughout the game, pushing outside 50 to try and halt the drive from Sam Docherty and Adam Saad.

"They were getting most of their goals from their mids and half-backs, so it was onto us as small forwards, to really get up, push up and press up," Jones said.

"I did 'fan-boy' when I was matched up with Paddy Cripps, and then Docherty, it was like wow, a pinch-yourself moment. I enjoyed it, but I knew they were the opposition, too."

Ugle-Hagan and Weightman have been key allies for Jones over the past two years.

"'Marra' is a big boy, he brings it to ground for us. Cody plays the same role as me, so me and him work hand-in-hand," he said.

"We also live together, so our connection and our team chemistry off-field makes it so much better on-field. He's exactly like me, he's bubbly and you have no idea what's going to happen next."