WHEN Warren 'Wow' Jones joined Carlton in 1977 at the age of 23, he had no education and no particular prospects for his working life.
There was also the impediment that training demands meant it was difficult to sink his teeth into a job.
One of his jobs at that time was driving a delivery truck for a brewery.
On one occasion, he drove the truck for 10 hours and then raced out to Waverley Park to play in a night series match.
Jones knew then that there had to be a better way.
Around this time, a company called VFL Insurance was set up. The idea was that one player from each VFL club would be trained to sell insurance products.
Carlton nominated Jones as its representative.
Jones was given the opportunity to move into a white-collar career—and the flexibility to work around training times. "I got my first taste in the industry," he says.
It was a taste that has led him on a wonderful working journey in the finance industry in Australia and overseas.
Jones missed out on the 1981 premiership team but was a vital member of the 1979 and 1982 flag-winning sides, having worked over Richmond ruckman Mark Lee in the latter.
David Parkin, coach of the 1981-82 premierships, used to tell players they needed to make the most of their time as "the book fills and closes very quickly".
Jones has taken that adage with him through his post-football life.
Last March, Jones returned to Melbourne to attend Carlton's reunion of its 1981-82 premiership teams which was held as part of the club's Hall of Fame night at the Crown Entertainment Complex.
At 202cm and 123kg (playing weight 115kg), he was in similar nick to his days at Princes Park.
Jones says premiership reunions are special to him. But when it came to talking about work, he discovered he was one of the crowd. It didn't surprise him that several former teammates had gone on to become successful businessmen.
Of the lessons he learned in football, he adheres to the need to improve your skills as the game changes, adapt and work hard.
He also worked out that nothing happens by accident.
After finishing his playing career in 1985, aged 31, Jones gained his commercial helicopter licence with a view to buying a helicopter and flying sightseers around tourist attractions up north.
Before he went up north, however, he was offered a management position at Colonial where he spent the next 10 years.
Along the way he gained a master's degree in enterprise and innovation from Swinburne University.
He was subsequently recruited to head up a funds management business in Sydney.
Through all these developments, Jones nurtured a dream to live and work overseas, so eventually he left Sydney and set himself up in London.
During a visit to Hamburg in Germany, he saw a business opportunity based on a great Aussie staple, the meat pie.
He started a gourmet pie factory and distributed the pies to the many English and Irish pubs in Germany as well as shops that sold all manner of things to English expats.
After nearly three years, homesickness drove him home to Manly. This time he set up a consulting business in which he helped boutique fund managers with strategies for product development, marketing and distribution.
More recently, the many changes in the finance industry brought on by the global financial crisis led him towards financial planning. He then moved into real estate.
Early this year, the 57-year-old returned to a salaried position, in this case with MLC, a subsidiary of NAB.
He's the business growth manager, responsible for recruiting advisors to several licensed dealerships in financial planning.
His greatest community involvement in Manly, where he still lives, has been with the Manly Life Saving Club. He was club captain until early this year.
"Football has made me what I am today," Jones says. "I have been very fortunate to be given the opportunity to play this great game at the highest level and learn lessons I will continue to carry for the rest of my life."
And just to clear up a mystery that has always surrounded Jones, he has no 'W' tattooed on his backside. It is an urban myth.
