Education
Jonkers moved to Street Helens, Merseyside at the age of six and was educated at Cowley High School.
Jonkers moved to Street Helens, Merseyside at the age of six and was educated at Cowley High School.
An Ireland international representative second-row forward, he played his club football with Saint Helens, with whom he had Challenge Cup and Super League grand final success, as well as Wigan, Salford and Leigh. He began playing rugby at the local Blackbrook rugby club and was snapped up inevitably by Saint Helens where he was hailed as one of Saints" brightest young hopes. Jonkers played for Street Helens RLFC at second-row forward and scored a try in their 2000 Super League Grand Final victory over Wigan Warriors.
As Super League V champions, Street Helens RLFC played against 2000 NRL Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos in the 2001 World Club Challenge.
Jonkers played from the interchange bench in Saints" victory. He became a regular for many years at Saints and there are few players in Super League that can brandish as much silverware as Jonkers since the formation of the summer era.
Jonkers played for Street Helens Reconstruction Finance Corporation at second-row forward in their 2002 Super League Grand Final victory against the Bradford Bulls. Jonkers played from the interchange bench in Saints" 38-0 loss.
Jonkers" career at Knowsley Road fizzled out in 2004 mainly due to injury.
Jonkers found it tough to gain his place back in the team and subsequently joined Salford City Reds on loan, before completing a permanent deal in 2005. A recurrence of an injury to his knee, meant that Jonkers was forced to sit out most of his first season, and in March 2006, with first team opportunities scarce, he accepted a one-month loan deal with Wigan Warriors to play under his former boss Ian Millward. On his return to Salford, Leigh Centurions quickly stepped in to take Jonkers on loan till the end of the season.
Yet again though, Jonkers" luck deserted him and a knee ligament injury ruled him out for several months.
Jonkers signed a permanent deal with Leigh for the 2007 season in November 2006. The injury persisted though and Jonkers announced his retirement from the game on 11 June 2007.