The Breaking of Nathan Jones

[Go the Biff 3,132]

Jones had his best game for the year on the weekend as most acknowledge. At the start of the season I was trying to see where he could possibly play effectively and decided the only real spot for him was the "ANB" role at half forward. Jones doesn't get over the ground as well as Nibbler but he remains a better footballer plus ANB's fumbly fingers and breakdown of potential scoring chains have annoyed me for ages. Jones is also a goal scoring threat anywhere from 50 in. He's a decent shot on the run.

A couple of things that may have gone unnoticed on the weekend. Jones had some stints on the wing and "held his width" to use a modern term. His positioning prevented Collingwood exiting on the fat side.

Also I noticed him doing a lot of defensive running off the ball. Picking up the likes of Crisp and Phillips and shadowing them so they couldn't be used as overlap runners & receivers. He may not be quick but he was quick & smart enough to help limit Collingwood's ball movement. All good disciplined team stuff.

No doubt he's coming to the end but at the moment, for this particular role in the forward line, he's got it over Hunt, Harley, ANB (with or without suspension), Bedford and anyone named Wagner.

And as @dazzledavey36 said, it was great to see the bald, chunky little fella enjoying his footy

[Fork 'em 6,507]

1 hour ago, The Chazz said:

The Dogs are quite a fast side.  We will know a bit more about Jones' effectiveness going forward after this weekend I think.  If we win and he continues to be visibly slow, then he has to go.  If we can't beat the Dogs, then we are just making up numbers so they might as well keep playing him.

They might as well put some games into the youth.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Fork 'em

[Ethan Tremblay 28,394]

5 hours ago, Pollyanna said:

OK, I think you're ready to take off the training wheels now Ethan and make a try at conditional logic.

If Nathan Jones is in MFC best 22

And MFC Best 22 is playing against Footscray this week

Then Nathan Jones is playing against Footscray this week

Give it a try

No need to confuse things, if he plays he plays. 

[Melb-A-Toast 257]

22 hours ago, Fork 'em said:

Don't want the club paying Jones another 350K next year just so he gets to 300.

Robbie Flower played 287. 
Kicked 5 goals in an Elim and 4 goals in a Semi before Dippa cracked his shoulder in the prelim.
Then retired.
If any-one should have been carried to 300 it was him.

Just a note. I think Robert Flower played 272 games, so that would have required 2 additional seasons

[durango 1,979]

I spoke to Robbie after the Preliminary Final and he said he was done and would retire, I was a former trainer at the club and was allowed into the club rooms after the match.

I asked him to leave his decision till October and he basicaly said with the shoulder injury and others he carried all season were the last straw.

[Half forward flank 1,022]

4 minutes ago, durango said:

I spoke to Robbie after the Preliminary Final and he said he was done and would retire, I was a former trainer at the club and was allowed into the club rooms after the match.

I asked him to leave his decision till October and he basicaly said with the shoulder injury and others he carried all season were the last straw.

Nice information. Robbie, modest until the end. With todays interchange and dollars he might have gone on. What a player, what a star. Only ever saw him beaten once, just slightly , by Peter Motley at Princes Park.

[Sir Why You Little 34,493]

1 hour ago, durango said:

I spoke to Robbie after the Preliminary Final and he said he was done and would retire, I was a former trainer at the club and was allowed into the club rooms after the match.

I asked him to leave his decision till October and he basicaly said with the shoulder injury and others he carried all season were the last straw.

Yes he said the same to me when i met him years later on Marngrook Footy Show. 
It was a serious Collarbone break

He was not bitter. No one in football disliked R Flower