What to do with Nathan Jones

[Adzman 2,154]

My 2 cents on this:

- One more year for Jones. We won't have trouble freeing up lists spots. Jones is ahead of some of the others due to exit the club.

- Won't be Captain. I can see Gawn/Viney captaincy time share next season

- Transition to forwardline. He is a decent set shot, tackles well and can still find the football when it's in the deck. Can be rotated through middle for small parts of the game if need be.

[The Chazz 4,077]

He has stuck with us when most didn't, has multiple B&Fs to his name and will go down as one of the great clubman of the Melbourne Football Club.

But is he prepared to put the club first for one last time by retiring at the end of the season?  I don't think he will, but I also think that 2019 should be his last.

Why?  He has become a liability.  When he's on the wing, clubs know if they get on his outside that he's got no chance of running anyone down.  If he plays half back flank, the smart half forwards push right up the ground then burn him off when they run the other way.  He's not quick enough to do the half forward role I just talked about.

It's a delicate position that Goody will find himself in.  Jones could break the MFC games record if he goes around again next year, which is quite remarkable when you think about the history of this club.  But is it a selfish achievement given we should be about setting the club up to win premierships rather than personal milestones?

I know I'll most likely be in the minority, but personally, I'm hoping Goody makes the tough call and tells him his time is up.

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

The scary thing is Nate thinks he’s good for another 2+ seasons after this one. 

Who’d want to give up $600+k to play footy with your mates on the G? Few I’d suggest.

Jones is an inside midfielder or Casey captain in 2020. No other position in the senior 22 is suitable.

[Ethan Tremblay 31,271]

What would Alistair Clarkson do? 

[The Chazz 4,077]

14 minutes ago, Matsuo Basho said:

The scary thing is Nate thinks he’s good for another 2+ seasons after this one. 

Who’d want to give up $600+k to play footy with your mates on the G? Few I’d suggest.

Jones is an inside midfielder or Casey captain in 2020. No other position in the senior 22 is suitable.

I totally agree.  But what's your answer?

[John Crow Batty 8,886]

I like to see him retire at the end of the season. I imagine he is still earning a fortune providing average output and leadership. He epitomises everything about our poor decade.  Goodwin has to find somewhere to hide him every game and he’s keeping the next hopeful out of a game. If the old won’t go away then the new won’t come. 

[whatwhat say what 23,625]

will play half-back for us, as he has done very well for the last fortnight

by far and away better with the ball than anyone in the side bar salem, which says a lot about how deplorable our disposal is 

[DeeSpencer 26,478]

Looked to me like he played another solid game of footy on the weekend at half back, his second in a row in that role since they made a change post the bye.

23 disposals, 5 rebound 50's, only 2 clangers, 5 score involvements, 362 metres gained.

As of right now he's our 2nd best distributor at half back alongside Salem and the next best on our list is????

Maybe Fritsch if we don't use him on a wing? Maybe Hibberd if we keep Hore and Jetta in the team. Or May and Lever provide more rebound so we don't need another ball user from half back.

More than happy for Jones to go on next year to be set to compete for a half back spot, knowing that he can still be used in the midfield if desperately needed.

[DeeSpencer 26,478]

5 minutes ago, america de cali said:

I like to see him retire at the end of the season. I imagine he is still earning a fortune providing average output and leadership. He epitomises everything about our poor decade.  Goodwin has to find somewhere to hide him every game and he’s keeping the next hopeful out of a game. If the old won’t go away then the new won’t come. 

Stupid post.

1. There's no way he's still earning a fortune, and if he is that's on our list management. He wouldn't be offered a big contract for next year anyway so it's irrelevant. In fact if he has made a fortune he'll probably play on for less.

2. He epitomises everything about why we still have a football club. He stayed loyal when it would've been so easy to jump off. This year has been a down year for many but plenty are acting like we're still in the Neeld years.

3. Who's the next hopeful he's keeping out? Have a look at the Casey team and find a good player ready to play. There just isn't any. He's currently keeping out Josh Wagner - who's had a stack of chances - and Lewis. If we recruit well and get guys back to fitness then they'll get games ahead of him.

[chook fowler 19,734]

one of the few that played well on sunday. The club will get him to 300, as they should. After that i think that will be that.

[DubDee 26,387]

Surely we have learnt from 'retiring' our previous captain, Junior McDonald.  Jones is our captain and is playing well enough to have another year.  I reckon he can do well off a HB flank, and if not playing well he can play at casey

Viney sole captain in 2020

[Ethan Tremblay 31,271]

A one year extension if he continues to play the way he has the last couple of weeks for the remainder of the season with the captaincy passed on to someone else. 

[John Demonic 5,929]

34 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

You don't like this thread with the same title?

Mods could add a survey to it and save12 pages of to and fro on Jones.

We could save a lot of hassle by having a downvote button on a thread, with an automatic thread deletion if it gets to about 80 or 90% downvoted. Mods can go on holidays. 

That being said, i'm really surprised this is a 50/50 split. I would've thought 8/10 demonlanders would've seen a place for Jones rotating through midfield and up forward next year. What would I know though

Edited July 1, 2019 by John Demonic

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

6 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Surely we have learnt from 'retiring' our previous captain, Junior McDonald.  Jones is our captain and is playing well enough to have another year.  I reckon he can do well off a HB flank, and if not playing well he can play at casey

Viney sole captain in 2020

What has Jnr McDonald got to do with Jones other than fact they both captained Melbourne? 

Different people. Different players. Different circumstances. It’s rarely one size fits all.

 

[DubDee 26,387]

2 minutes ago, Matsuo Basho said:

What has Jnr McDonald got to do with Jones other than fact they both captained Melbourne? 

Different people. Different players. Different circumstances. It’s rarely one size fits all.

 

they both are/were current captains towards the end of your career.  you do not kick a current captain out the door. if he is good enough to be the team captain he is good enough to have one more year.

ever heard of a current captain being managed out of any club?? 

only our half-arsed club has done it

[Bitter but optimistic 22,289]

I agree Jones hasn't been at his best this season. He has been unusually inconsistent.  In some matches he has played some very good quarters  but then disappeared. His last couple of weeks have been much better.

He has not been so poor as to deserve dropping and we don't have ready replacements pressuring him.

He is experienced, versatile and always busts his guts for the team.

He will and should play on next year.

[Youngwilliam 381]

Relieve the captaincy from him, one less responsibility for Nath to worry about. Let him focus on just his footy in 2020. 

We owe Jones another season considering what he had to endure and still sticking by the club.

[Matsuo Basho 1,053]

34 minutes ago, DubDee said:

they both are/were current captains towards the end of your career.  you do not kick a current captain out the door. if he is good enough to be the team captain he is good enough to have one more year.

ever heard of a current captain being managed out of any club?? 

only our half-arsed club has done it

I don’t disagree that he could probably play on for one more season but he has stated that he wants to go on for 2+ more years. You have to have the sensitive conversation with him at some point. He is not a good enough player that he can simply write his own ticket. 

He should be told what Lewis was told this year.  One final season with an understanding that senior footy is no longer guaranteed. 

MFC priority though must be to win games, not assuage egos and give carte blanch to sentiment. I’m sure it will also dawn on Jones if it hasn’t already just how fortunate he has been to do something he loves and make a tidy fortune in the process.

They all have used by dates. Even captains.

[Pipefitter 2,217]

I think he’s been really good since moving back. He’s def not captain next year but I’d keep him on like we have Vince/Lewis and only play 1sts if his form demands it.

[binman 44,683]

One thing we can't lose is players who can be relied on to hit a target by foot.

We literally only have 4-5 In our best 25 players who can so it would be insane to voluntarily get rid of one of them.

[Soidee 1,496]

At the very least he should not be Captain.  

[Jaded No More 68,976]

Will get another year and reinvent himself at half back. Should and I think will relinquish the captaincy. 

[TRIGON 4,796]

Thought he had a really solid game against Brisbane. Torn as to whether he should go on next year. We need some run and carry, Nathan can’t really provide that, however, can others?  As for playing on in 2020, a lot will depend upon who we can bring into the club and what role(s) that would leave open to him.

[The Chazz 4,077]

I'm amazed that people are suggesting that Jones should be played off the half back flank. The game has changed - the days of hiding a slow veteran on a back flank are long gone.

I wouldn't be surprised that the same ones calling for this are the same ones that dont want Lewis picked for the rest of the year because he is a liability now in most parts of the field, and the same people that are complaining that we are a slow team.

[TRIGON 4,796]

7 minutes ago, The Chazz said:

I'm amazed that people are suggesting that Jones should be played off the half back flank. The game has changed - the days of hiding a slow veteran on a back flank are long gone.

I wouldn't be surprised that the same ones calling for this are the same ones that dont want Lewis picked for the rest of the year because he is a liability now in most parts of the field, and the same people that are complaining that we are a slow team.

That’s the thing, in an ideal world we’d have a line breaker at HBF. That’s not Jones, certainly not Lewis. If Jones plays on and plays regularly on 2020 then well done him, but would that then be a poor reflection on the state of our list?