Port Adelaide forward Darcy Byrne-Jones is proud to look back on his football career as he approaches his 200th AFL game this weekend.  

The 29-year-old famously reinvigorated his career from All-Australian half back to spritely small forward, with his life changing even more when he became a father last year. 

Reflecting on his career on Tuesday, Byrne-Jones spoke to the Adelaide media about his upcoming milestone, the change in his role, and what excites him about the season ahead. 

Byrne-Jones on his milestone 
“It's obviously exciting, pretty proud moment to get to 200. I certainly didn't think I'd get there when I first started my career. So (this week I) try and keep things as normal as possible, and we’ll have a few other guys with some special moments and that kind of thing as well. There's always a bigger build up to Round 1 than probably most other games. So I try and keep things as relaxed as possible and go in with confidence that we can do what we’ve been working on in the pre-season.” 

Byrne-Jones on the support he’ll have at the MCG this Saturday night 
“Yeah, so I grew up in Melbourne, so a few friends from school and family, and some people coming over from Adelaide. So it'll be good to have people there and people supporting me, and hopefully we can perform the way we want them to celebrate after.” 

Byrne-Jones on his career so far 
“I’m obviously really grateful that the club gave me the opportunity, 12 years ago now, it's gone very quick, but just super grateful, and I'm sure after the game there'll be a sense of pride in what I’ve achieved but right now I’m just trying to focus on the game and then how I can help the team. 

“I knew going into the prelim last year, that if we had won it, it would have been my 200th in the grand final, which would have been nice, but obviously that didn't eventuate, and didn't think about it too much over the pre-season. I was sort of just trying to make sure I could get my body right and perform and we brought some new guys in so obviously competition for spots.  So I was just trying to put my best foot forward and make sure that I was ready to go and in the team for Round 1.” 

Byrne-Jones on his position in 2025 
“I’ve spent the whole pre-season in the forward line and I’m comfortable there and enjoying my footy there so at this stage I’m playing forward.” 

Byrne-Jones on his focus since being a forward 
“Look, there's obviously some changes. I think playing as a defender and playing on some of the best small forwards probably gave me a little bit of a leg up. And I guess I’ve been spending time forward now for couple of years so learning tips and tricks. Guys like Sam Powell-Pepper and Willie Rioli have been really kind and important to me with my development there. Feels like we have a really good group down there that sort of complement each other really well.  

Byrne-Jones on reinvigorating his career as a forward 
“Yeah, well, I sort of found myself out of the team, sort of on the outer down back, so I might not be here today if I hadn’t moved forward. I guess, just loving my time there and really grateful for being able to make the move.” 

Byrne-Jones on the new-look forward line 
“The guys who we’ve brought in all have their strengths and the forward will probably look a fair bit different to what it has in previous years. And we're trying to move the ball in a way that complements the people we have down there. The guys we’ve brought in are really exciting, and the way they train has been really good, really professional and hard-working. So I'm sure that will come out throughout the season.” 

Byrne-Jones on changes over the off-season 
“Obviously we lost some guys at the end of the year but brought some in, so it's a different look this year, and everyone's entitled to an opinion, and there's a lot of different media opinions out there this time of year. We've been really good at just focusing on what we can control, training hard, getting new guys in, and getting used to them, and getting them comfortable and I’m really confident in what we can achieve this year, and really confident in the list we have.  

“Every club experiences change at the end of each year, and new personnel coming in, personnel leaving, guys improving, that’s probably one thing that people do forget. I’ve been around long enough to know things change and personnel change, but you just keep rocking up, working hard, and putting faith in the people we do have here and the coaches that we do have is really important. Generally holds you in good stead.” 

Byrne-Jones on being underestimated in the media 
“Perhaps a little bit (of extra motivation, but) I mean, we’re playing AFL footy so it doesn't take too much to get yourself motivated, because obviously there's a fair bit at stake. The crew we have here is really good at staying humble and staying hungry. We’re pretty self motivated it feels like, and pretty hungry to achieve what we want.” 

Byrne-Jones on Joe Berry 
“Yeah he's super talented and works hard, he’s got his head screwed on pretty well. He’s humble, and you know, when his opportunity does come, I’m sure he’ll grab it with both hands and will probably be long term fixture in the team for a long time.” 

Byrne-Jones on how becoming a father has changed him 
“Yeah, a little bit, obviously provides some perspective. It's obviously great to go home to the little one, and even if you've had a poor game, poor day or whatever, you see the smile on his face, and it does make life a little bit easier, despite the lack of sleep.” 

Byrne-Jones on his AFL debut 
“I remember being very nervous. We played Essendon on a Friday night actually, and we got the win, which was good, which was the main thing. That was sort of the only thing I was worried about. Seems like a lifetime ago now.  

“I ran into Sammy Gray, who probably had the hardest head in South Australia. I do remember that goal, it was a special moment. One of the moments in my career that sticks with you.” 

Byrne-Jones on his longevity 
“Yeah, a bit of luck probably goes with that. And playing half back and half forward, probably don't get the collision injuries that midfielders tend to get. But yeah, I’ve been lucky on the injury front to stay in. And lucky that I made that switch forward and was able to keep my spot for most of it. So, yeah, just grateful for the journey. Like you said, there's only a couple of blokes still here that were here when I first started. So it does put things into perspective on how quickly it does go and how fast things do change. So trying to my feet on the ground and stay focused on what I can control.” 

Byrne-Jones on his career highlight 
“It’s a tough one, Obviously, we haven't achieved what we’ve really wanted to achieve so far, but playing in those big games, you know, the Hawthorn final we played last year, the intensity was just something like I’ve never experienced. So playing those big games, that's why I play.” 

Byrne-Jones on his confidence in the team this year 
“Yeah, very confident, I think we’ve got an exciting group. We’ve got guys with a lot of talent. We’ve put the work in during pre-season, so we go into the season with confidence. I’m sure there’ll be ups and downs, but I'm confident that at the end of the year, we can be in a position to contend.”