Jong feared his season was over after breaking his collarbone just over a fortnight ago in the Dogs' elimination final against West Coast.
The 23-year-old was in tears on the bench as his side pulled off an upset victory. The club now finds itself in a Grand Final against the Sydney Swans on Saturday.
Back on the field just 16 days after surgery, Jong won the Norm Goss Medal for best afield in the VFL Grand Final as Footscray finished 31-point winners against the
Casey Scorpions. Jong picked up 29 disposals – an equal team-high, with Koby Stevens.
He had his left shoulder strapped in a ploy to avoid attention on the injured part of his body, with the right side the actual site of his injury.
"Maybe it was a bit of a plan. I think my left one is sore now though," he said on Sunday after the game.
The Scorpions ensured Jong did not have an easy day. Lynden Dunn tested the injury out after Jong hit the post with a set shot following the quarter-time siren, with the pair's clash sparking a melee.
"That's fair enough though, that's the sport. I put my hand up to play and I knew what was coming," he said.
"The boys tested the collarbone out a bit but I got through unscathed."
Jong said he was concerned about how he would hold up leading in to the game but was determined to play in the same manner he normally does, with the inside midfielder known for his toughness.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried (pre-game). That's natural, but once I got into it … it was no dramas," he said.
"I couldn't let the collarbone deter me from doing anything different so I tried to do that as best as I could."
He thought he would not return this year after hurting himself against the Eagles.
"I assumed the worst and this is probably the best-case scenario with how it's turned out. I was probably carrying on a bit in Perth," he said.
His contract expires at the end of the season but Jong said that was of no concern to him at the moment.
"We've still got footy to play so I'm not worried about that at all," he said.
Jong said he had not considered the prospect of picking up two premiership medals in a week.
"I haven't thought that far ahead. I'm still celebrating and I'm pretty ecstatic at the moment with the VFL win," he said.
Frankston legend Michael 'Robbo' Robinson has just confirmed that this afternoon he has accepted a role at the Sandringham Football Club working in the Time-Keepers position for the 2017 Peter Jackson VFL season.
