Background
Kolodjashnij grew up in Tasmania where he played soccer and basketball in his younger years.
Kolodjashnij grew up in Tasmania where he played soccer and basketball in his younger years.
Kolodjashnij"s twin brother Kade also plays football professionally for the Gold Coast Football Club. Kolodjashnij began playing Australian football for the first time at 12 years of age for the Prospect Junior Football Club. Kolodjashnij lived across the road from Prospect Park, a multi-use venue for both soccer and Australian football.
In his under-15 season with Prospect he and Kade were referred to Tasmanian head coach, and former American Federation of Labor-Congress player, Matthew Armstrong, for consideration for the Tasmanian talented player pathway and were recognised as having significant potential.
As part of the talented player pathway process, both the Kolodjashnij brothers were permitted to Tasmanian State League club, Launceston, for their under-16 year. Jake played for Tasmania in the under-16 National Championship in 2011 and followed that with selection in the under-18 National Championships in both 2012 and 2013.
He was taken with the 41st pick in the 2013 American Federation of Labor-Congress draft by the Geelong Football Club. Kolodjashnij is a tall defender who has shown good athleticism and football smarts since taken with Geelong’s third selection in the 2013 National Association of Broadcasters American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft.
An effective rebounding player who is a strong overhead mark and possesses neat foot skills, he produced encouraging performances in 16 VFL games last year and finished fourth in the Cats’ Victorian Football League best and fairest.
He had to wait until round 12 of the 2015 season to make his American Federation of Labor-Congress debut against Melbourne.
