I've enjoyed a lot of players over the past 5 decades, but only a few have totally captured my interest and "devotion": Hardeman was the first, Flower the next, Brett Lovett, The Ox. I now put N. Jones up there with them. Maybe not for talent,  but for honouring the games founding club and our revered jumper. From a young bloke who tried to break every tackle, to a consistent, focused, inspiring leader who pesonifies CLUB football at its best. 

And he should be the stand alone skipper - by the length of the Flemington straight. 

Edited April 3, 20178 yr by Maldonboy38

Jones is like a fine wine, he continues to get better with age.

Jones should have retained sole captaincy this year. He is playing the best football of his career.
Viney however has struggled throughout the JLT series and now the first two rounds into the season proper. He should've been added to the leadership group or at most made Vice Captain. He simply isn't mature enough yet.

Jones has always been a warrior on the inside, but his outside run and kicking have improved dramatically. I can't remember a player ever improving their kicking skills so drastically so late into their career. He's gone from an average kick to a really damaging kick. His field kicking is brilliant, low and flat, and he's always been able to bomb goals from 50. His agility is really good now too. In the past he would try to bulldoze his way through tackles, now he is able to avoid tacklers and dispose to advantage instead of be caught or bombing the ball to nothing. Really impressed with how well he's developed later in his career and hope he gets to be part of the success after battling through so much rubbish for most of his career.

 

40 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

Jones should have retained sole captaincy this year. He is playing the best football of his career.
Viney however has struggled throughout the JLT series and now the first two rounds into the season proper. He should've been added to the leadership group or at most made Vice Captain. He simply isn't mature enough yet.

Jones has always been a warrior on the inside, but his outside run and kicking have improved dramatically. I can't remember a player ever improving their kicking skills so drastically so late into their career. He's gone from an average kick to a really damaging kick. His field kicking is brilliant, low and flat, and he's always been able to bomb goals from 50. His agility is really good now too. In the past he would try to bulldoze his way through tackles, now he is able to avoid tacklers and dispose to advantage instead of be caught or bombing the ball to nothing. Really impressed with how well he's developed later in his career and hope he gets to be part of the success after battling through so much rubbish for most of his career.

 

Maybe it was the co-captaincy call they has inspired Jones to take his game and leadership to another level..?

 

Love the way he nailed that goal from 50 in the first quarter - there was someone free slightly closer to goal (Jesse?) but he just sized it up and took on the responsibility himself and it never looked like missing. Captain's kick. 

Agree that Viney should have been made VC at most. But what do you do now? Demote him to VC and possibly rob him of confidence?

I'd keep him as captain, but have Jones stay with him for a couple of seasons.

Jones is without doubt, our true captain.

I love Jones's "f@&k this s@&t" attitude. When we are over using the ball he so often just goes bang and bombs one from outside fifty. 

Couldnt love a footballer more

2 hours ago, PaulRB said:

Maybe it was the co-captaincy call they has inspired Jones to take his game and leadership to another level..?

 

IMO his game went to another level prior to this season, and I'm pretty sure Lord Travis wasn't just referring to two games this year.

His neck looks really fused.

Reflected in his play...

He has played two of his best games for the club to start the year. 

Browsing the 'odd socks basket' of statistics at AFL Tables the other day, I noticed that Jones features in the top 10 for current players for streak of consecutive matches with 20+ disposals (a still-running streak of 21, against the top current player being Josh Kennedy at a ridiculous 53, then Dangerfield, Laird and Treloar on 30 each).

So, captain courageous is also captain consistent!

 

You'll also be delighted to know that Jack Viney is behind only Priddis of current players, for consecutive games with at least 4 tackles.

Also, the Tom McDonald haters will be really upset if they go to the rebound 50s, 1%ers and marks current records. Just saying.

 

Everyone loves him coz he just keeps giving.....week after week, year after year.

I think the co captaincy thing has lit a fire under Jonesy, because I doubt he's ever had two more effective weeks in winning teams, been a major part of winning. He's doing the right things at the right time. 

He's carried the team surrounded by the worst midfields the game has seen. Now there's talent around him he seems even better. 

He's also the only one I'm comfortable with kicking on his non-preferred. There was a time way back when that I didn't want him kicking with either foot. 

The guy is a champion, universally respected by everyone in footy too because of the way he goes about it. No one deserves success more than Jones. 

His change of role has coincided nicely with the maturity of his outside game.

And being eased out of the human battering ram job will hopefully add some games to his career.

On 03/04/2017 at 0:21 PM, Petraccattack said:

Ift here was a betting market for the Bluey I would be loading up on Jonesy to win his 4th this season.  He is just getting better with age, and he looks so young and fresh out there.  

Doesnt turn 30 until next year and I bet hes still playing great footy for us at age 35, a la Sam Mitchell.

Having more decent players sharing the midfield roles and the midfield pressure has enabled Nathan to reach new heights.

He is becoming one of MFC's all time legends.  

Stuck at it through the bleak years.

I remember seeing him at Sandringham when he was first on our list and thought he showed special qualities of tenacity and courage as well as having very decent disposal and vision.

 

 

Edited April 4, 20178 yr by monoccular
spelling

I now put the last 2 seasons as Jones adjusting to quite a few new teammates and game plan, he wasn't bad but he was not his best either. Where as this year, ( and i soley credit his own work ethic) he has found the groove and is rocking it. What ever he did to find that extra pace should be bottled, kept secret like the coca cola formula, and compulsory for the entire team. I cannot think of another mature player who has regained pace the way he has.

2 hours ago, Stretch Johnson said:

His change of role has coincided nicely with the maturity of his outside game.

And being eased out of the human battering ram job will hopefully add some games to his career.

He's the best kick at the club on both right and left, and now gets to showcase his class.

Interestingly enough, a lot of posters on here thought that he'd struggle to get a game when the "New Wave" of midfielders came along from 2008-2010. Jones actually flourished under Neeld's coaching.

Edited April 4, 20178 yr by mo64

42 minutes ago, mo64 said:

He's the best kick at the club on both right and left, and now gets to showcase his class.

Interestingly enough, a lot of posters on here thought that he'd struggle to get a game when the "New Wave" of midfielders came along from 20008-2010. Jones actually flourished under Neeld's coaching.

That’s because Nathan Jones isn’t a softc. k who needs his feelings stroked every five seconds. Mark Neeld wrongly assumed professional AFL footballers wouldn’t need to be coddled in order to perform well.

Jones has been one of our best kicks for years (I'd argue since he won his first B+F), but was prone to clangers because he was often under immense pressure, had to kick quickly, or had ordinary players as his targets. I can't stand it when people describe Jones as merely a "grunt player" or "not being blessed with natural skills" - it's a stupid footy cliche said by media personalities who watch one Demons game a month. Jones has been a skillful player for many years - he just doesn't have the block locks to go with it.

The more he gets the freedom to play as an outside midfielder or half-back flanker, the better his kicking looks. I wouldn't be surprised if he finally gets an All Australian guernsey this year or in a few years time as a half back flanker.

He has become a much more complete mid, does the hard stuff but he's become so dangerous on the outside as well

When one reads articles like this admiration for Jones goes sky high. 

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/poor-form-gold-coast-champion-gary-abletts-tv-spot-says-it-all-really-20170405-gvejsx.html

Ablett did a sook last weekend when he was given a role he didn't like. And not happy that his traditionally lack of defensive game was highlighted by the media.  His management 'blame poor coaching, recruiting, player development, medical and high-performance personnel. And they blame the poor culture at the Suns'. 

Compare that to Jones.  He played thru the worst period and culture a club could have with never a complaint.  Gave his all on the field regardless of how tough it became.  Helped change the cultlurle.  Set a great example even when we were losing and he was a warrior before even having the captaincy.  Endured the most demoralising of losses.  Played injured. Now he takes the disappointment of co-captaincy in his stride.  .

Gary may have the brownlows and medals and no doubt has been a champion player.  But in my mind it is Jones who is the greater champion in terms of bottom of the pack play, fortitude, team player, loyalty, captain, leadership etc etc.

So much respect for Jones, not so much for Ablett.  I just hope we win a premiership while Jones is still playing. 

 

Edited April 6, 20178 yr by Lucifer's Hero

Don't mind it too much.

On Tuesday, April 04, 2017 at 6:13 PM, Dee man said:

Jones has been one of our best kicks for years (I'd argue since he won his first B+F), but was prone to clangers because he was often under immense pressure, had to kick quickly, or had ordinary players as his targets. I can't stand it when people describe Jones as merely a "grunt player" or "not being blessed with natural skills" - it's a stupid footy cliche said by media personalities who watch one Demons game a month. Jones has been a skillful player for many years - he just doesn't have the block locks to go with it.

The more he gets the freedom to play as an outside midfielder or half-back flanker, the better his kicking looks. I wouldn't be surprised if he finally gets an All Australian guernsey this year or in a few years time as a half back flanker.

This was th e thing that always got me about chunk in his earlier years...

 

He used to get roasted for his delivery in the early years by some, but more often than not it was because the man would barrel in there win the ball and fire off this bullet pass to a team mate who would be too slow to receive it effectively. 

 

Has blossomed with a good team around him, finally showing that he is a truly elite player

 

Has been my favorite player for quite a few years

 

As for the captaincy that is a reflection on Viney and rewarding him for his leadership as opposed to a demotion of Jones