Lin Jong (; born 4 June 1993) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). He was recruited by the club in the 2012 Rookie Draft, with pick 9. He was the first Australian of East Timorese and Taiwanese descent to play in the AFL.

Early years

Lin's father, Vitor, an East Timorese of Chinese background, fled his country in 1978 at the age of 18 due to the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He worked and studied in Japan, Macau, Hong Kong, and finally Taiwan, where he met his wife Faye. After marrying, they immigrated to Australia in 1985. Jong was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, on 4 June 1993. He attended school at

Brentwood Secondary College Brentwood Secondary College is a co-educational, public high school, located in Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Glen Waverley South Primary School adjoins the college, and they have their own oval, which is used for many sport activities su ...

and played with the Glen Waverley Rovers JFC.

AFL career

Jong made his debut in Round 20,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, against at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

. In 2014, Jong was promoted to the senior list and also signed to a new contract, tying him to the club until the end of 2016. In 2016, Jong cracked his

collarbone The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...

in the Western Bulldogs' elimination final victory over

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

. Despite this injury, Jong earned a

Norm Goss Memorial Medal The Norm Goss Memorial Medal is awarded to the player judged to be the best afield in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier r ...

seventeen days later by putting in a best-on-ground effort for his club's reserves team in its victory over the

Casey Scorpions The Casey Football Club, nicknamed the "Demons" and formerly the "Scorpions", is an Australian rules football club based in Cranbourne East, Victoria. The club, which was known until 2005 as the Springvale Football Club and the Casey Scorpions ( ...

in the 2016 VFL Grand Final. In a successful ploy to avoid contact with his injury, Jong took inspiration from Footscray legend

Charlie Sutton Charlie Sutton (3 April 1924 – 5 June 2012) was an Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Although he served the club for many years as coach and committee man, he is perhaps best known for ...

by taping the opposite shoulder. On 7 October 2016, after being linked with and in preceding weeks, Jong re-signed with the Western Bulldogs on a two-year deal. After suffering a serious hamstring injury in Round 6 of the 2021 AFL Season, Jong announced his retirement from the AFL on 4 August 2021.

Post-AFL career

At least as early as 2016, Jong had expressed interest in becoming a primary school teacher. In 2017, he had commenced studying to become a primary school teacher, and he had commenced his teaching placement in 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jong, Lin 1993 births Living people Western Bulldogs players Australian sportspeople of Chinese descent Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian people of East Timorese descent Australian people of Taiwanese descent Oakleigh Chargers players Williamstown Football Club players