Even if a team is "A-Grade" does not mean every player in it is an "A-Grade" player.

Good teams have a mixture of different players with usually only a few truly elite.

Good teams have hard players that bust their gut every week and inspire teammates through their determination. They may not be the best skilled but you know what you are getting from them and can always rely on them to play their role. They are essential to success.

Nathan Jones will be this player for us.

Edited June 3, 201114 yr by Mac7

His kicking and decision making have improved off a low base. For the type of player he is he barely wins enough contested possessions (av < 10) and he doesn't win enough clearances, lay and stick enough tackles or deliver enough 1%s. He plays like an outside finisher and may your deity of choice help us if that's his role.

He's not creative by hand or foot, he can't run the lines, he regularly turns the ball over, and is average in the areas you mention.

His fans see an honest mid and they won't have a word said against him. Bully for them. C grade.

Biggest piece of progress is that he appears to have realised he's not the next Gary Ablett and plays his role within his limitations. Have a look at Pro-Stats - he still needs to work on his contested possessions, tackles, clearances and 1%s. He should be top 3 in all these.

Completely agree with those assessments.

His strength is actually his ability to run all day - he is in the fittest couple at the club. He will never be a Judd or even a Watson or Moloney in my view but I'm not sure we will always want him to be. That's what we are crying out for now because he is one of only a couple of bigger bodies in a midfield stacked with babies but in a couple of years this won't be the case.

Unless he can hurt teams regularly by winning the contested ball and using it well by hand or foot then he may as well run all night. And its that reason he not like a Judd or Watson. He currenltly seriving a purpose where so many young players are but he is not critical to those future plans when that talent blooms.

For Jones to take the next step he needs to work on his defensive game and keep improving his disposal and decision making.

I'd say that is a critical especially when he lacks pace over shorter distances.

Unless he can hurt teams regularly by winning the contested ball and using it well by hand or foot then he may as well run all night. And its that reason he not like a Judd or Watson. He currenltly seriving a purpose where so many young players are but he is not critical to those future plans when that talent blooms.

I'd say that is a critical especially when he lacks pace over shorter distances.

The ball moves pretty quickly when it's being hit on the pointy bit by a clenched fist. Players who can get into position to perform such an action should be used in that manner. Basketballers-cum-ruckmen , red-headed wingmen with poor turning circles and Nathan Jones can all do that with great efficiency, despite their wonky kicking.As long as they stick to their roles, they can have a place in almost any team. IMO, of course.

Edited June 3, 201114 yr by Chook

Don't agree H

Fair enough. Better footy minds than mine agree with you.

My easy to understand gradings:

(subject to change)

Superstar - Judd

Elite - Selwood

A grade - Murphy

B grade - Boak

C grade - Jones

Edited June 3, 201114 yr by Hannabal

Don't agree H, he is one player that consistently breaks tackles clear and at his best is very attacking and creative with his disposal, at his worst his turnover's are often fatal because he nearly always looks to the corridor.

His detractors need to watch the full 120 minutes and keep thier eyes open. I guarantee you that tonight he will on a number of occasions get himself out of a tight space either with strength or sideways movement (or a combination of the 2) and deliver the ball to a team-mate which will result in a scoring opportunity.

I will be watching for it.

This is an absolute fabrication.

He is the #1 'tries to do too much' player in the AFL, and gets caught constantly. I think the ratio of him 'breaking tackles' to 'getting bogged down when he should have already handballed' is about 1:10.

He has kicked some lace out gems, sizzling 50m passes this year but they happen once in a blue moon.

As for watching the full 120 minutes and keeping one's eyes open, right back at you.

Jones is not a C Grader, he is singly the most under-rated player at our club.

Strong, skilled, resilient, hard running ball winners are hard to find, particularly at the MFC. Jones has a tendency to take too much reponsibility upon himself, therefore tries to break the extra tackle, kick to the corridor when it's not on etc. He has kerbed this to a large degree.

He is an attacking player with a mindset that I would dearly love to rub off onto a number of his team-mates. Put some better players around Chunk he will improve, not become obsolete. Think Dane Swan and what he was doing a few years ago.

Last year Mick Malthouse said on SEN that he viewed Jones to be our most important midfielder, and the one you needed to stop the most for his ability in the packs.

Opinions are like [censored]. Everyone has one. Jones isn't a C grader, he's clearly better than that.

I'm on this wagon.

I admit to steaming from the ears when he forgets his limitations, however.... Chunk's spirit & grit is the epitome of what our bunch of talented under achievers should be striving for as a standard.

This is an absolute fabrication.

He is the #1 'tries to do too much' player in the AFL, and gets caught constantly. I think the ratio of him 'breaking tackles' to 'getting bogged down when he should have already handballed' is about 1:10.

He has kicked some lace out gems, sizzling 50m passes this year but they happen once in a blue moon.

As for watching the full 120 minutes and keeping one's eyes open, right back at you.

Geez don't overstate it, and you tell me I am fabricating things. From which official stats figures did you obtain this info. Methinks that you have fabricated it.

Take your own blinkers off and watch the game yourself without your prejudices, and ask yourself why in the past he has tried to do much. Chip Frawley has been trying very hard to break the lines in our last couple of games too and coming unstuck occasionally. Why is that? I won't hold it against either of them because they are sadly just a few that try to run against the tide.

The way you carried on I don't expect you to get it, or you will reply fabricating some other stat to suit the purpose of your argument.

And H, Malthouse and Roos agree with my assessment. Each to thier own, let's see if he continues to improve or falls by the wayside, I think the former.

This is an absolute fabrication.

He is the #1 'tries to do too much' player in the AFL, and gets caught constantly. I think the ratio of him 'breaking tackles' to 'getting bogged down when he should have already handballed' is about 1:10.

He has kicked some lace out gems, sizzling 50m passes this year but they happen once in a blue moon.

As for watching the full 120 minutes and keeping one's eyes open, right back at you.

He does that because his decision making and awareness aren't great, hence C grade is about right. Hats off to him, he's made it to the big time through hard work.

He could drop the twitter.