What an amazing effort from an an amazing servant of the club. 

This guy bleeds red and blue. He carried the team on his shoulders for so many years during some dark times. 

As loyal as the come. Congratulations Nathan Jones. 

❤️??

Ty Mr Jones (also posted in another thread)....

Bottom line.... there are certain 'Special' players that define a club and set the standards for all to follow.  Both ON and OFF the track and on game day.

They DON'T grow on trees.

And they set these standards week after week.  Month after month.  Year after year.  Regardless of how the rest of the team might be coping/playing.

They are there bringing a level of acceptable, and in many cases higher, standards for others to follow and mark themselves by.

Chunk was (still is!) the fire, the guts, the blood, sweat and tears that kept the spirit and flame of the club burning through some very dark years.  IMHO the darkest i've witnessed in my short 50 years following this club.

The Jones boy has earned  his moment. This week, on this stage, many times over and over and over!

The impact he will have on all those around on the night you cannot put into words, nor can it be measured or easily defined.  Spirit, guts and great loyalty.  It might even help get us over the line on the night.

Go get em Jones Boy!  What a role model for this club.  Love ya son!

1 minute ago, Rusty Nails said:

Ty Mr Jones (also posted in another thread)....

Bottom line.... there are certain 'Special' players that define a club and set the standards for all to follow.  Both ON and OFF the track and on game day.

They DON'T grow on trees.

And they set these standards week after week.  Month after month.  Year after year.  Regardless of how the rest of the team might be coping/playing.

They are there bringing a level of acceptable, and in many cases higher, standards for others to follow and mark themselves by.

Chunk was (still is!) the fire, the guts, the blood, sweat and tears that kept the spirit and flame of the club burning through some very dark years.  IMHO the darkest i've witnessed in my short 50 years following this club.

The Jones boy has earned  his moment. This week, on this stage, many times over and over and over!

The impact he will have on all those around on the night you cannot put into words, nor can it be measured or easily defined.  Spirit, guts and great loyalty.  It might even help get us over the line on the night.

Go get em Jones Boy!  What a role model for this club.  Love ya son!

Bloody great words mate!!!!

Jones will go down as one of our all time greats and deserves every accolade that comes his way this week. 

Get around the great man! 

Talk about the heart and soul of a club.

Was chased by other teams when we were one of the worst sides in the games history, and didn't budge. He is the definition of loyalty.

Don't let him down boys.

20 minutes ago, Rusty Nails said:

he impact he will have on all those around on the night you cannot put into words, nor can it be measured or easily defined.  Spirit, guts and great loyalty.  It might even help get us over the line on the night.

I was on the fence about him playing against Richmond.

I dont believe he is in great form.

When you point out how significant 300 games is and the likely effect it will have on  him and his teamates then I understand why it is better to played against the tigers.

From this perspective I conceed I was wrong. Im sure it will fire the boys up and especially Chunk.

It actually could provide the extra motivation we need.

Best of Luck. One thing for sure he does deserve to play out 300. Hope its 6 zip for him and he gets amongst the votes.

Bear with me, it's time for another Little Goffy wall of text. I spent a bit of time last week doing some digging of old Nathan Jones threads and it was quite rewarding so I bookmarked them to share later.  I'll try to share in chronological order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this bring a few moments of poignancy for others as it did for me. 

 

Any highlights of him with hair???

Jonesy plays his 300th, Dusty his 250th and Brayshaw and Rioli both will play their 100th, don't know if there's ever been a game with more than 750 games in combined milestones before? All happening on Anzac Eve, which could be the biggest crowd for years. Huge occasion for the club and all involved, very fitting for Jones!  

Good stat, Real. Here's another:

To 2014 the win/loss ratio for 300th games was 35/32, so a coin toss.

But, since then, it's been 15/9 (*), a win rather more likely! Trending nicely for Nathan!

Thumbs up to the tributes above, and, regarding the 'Chunky' thread, maybe our 'Tats' could go to theirs? A colourful match-up if nothing else!

(* Of these, Jordan Lewis saluted for us, against Adelaide, while we spoiled Corey Enright's party!)

Was lucky to be there for is first game against the doggies. He played well of the bench in a good in bu that day was the Yze show (5 snags). Jonesy even had a few blond hairs and a few less tatts back then. 

 

Went on to play finals that year and did well in that Saints game. Must of thought, like we all did, that a golden era was about to start. 

 

Really like the guy, Well done. Hopefully gets to see some real success this year

 

 

Legend.

A legend of the club.  The [censored] this guy had to play through would break a lot of people. Who could have blamed him if he had left the club in those dark days? He would have had many opportunities too.  The guy was doing it all for us on the field with very little support and fought like a warrior every week taking a beating as our #1 midfielder, a position he should not have been in .

And here he is still kicking, playing in a 5-0 team now, about to play his 300th under the MCG lights in a Saturday night blockbuster and will be a one club player.    Legend.

I love Chunk.

He's been a really good, durable player and the sort of player and role model that we're been lucky to have had. Started as an outside runner with an inside midfield's body and he worked hard early in the VFL to change his game to suit what he'd need to be at AFL level. 

Some players are coach-proof. They don't complain, don't wallow, and just work so hard that they can succeed in any system. Nathan Jones is one of those players. He won B&F's in terrible teams because he just kept turning up and doing the work when others didn't.

The journey of an older football is an interesting one, where you initially lose some athleticism to see yourself return to the pack, then eventually lose enough that you are clinging on just to compete. It's a slow, frustrating journey for players who can't play the way they know they can/could but some players can move past that to the point where they see the development and success of younger players as being part of their own success, which becomes very satisfying. I think Nathan Jones is at that point now, and he's playing a very selfless role to help those players achieve that. He's a former captain, former B&F (multiple times) and must take enormous personal satisfaction in his part of turning a woeful, dysfunctional team into a genuinely good one at the end of his career. He may not ever win an AFL flag, but we wouldn't have been able to navigate the way out of the mud without him setting standards and getting the job done, becoming the standard setter that new recruits could aspire to. If we achieve success it will be built on the hard work he did when a lesser person would have given up.

Well done. 300 games is no less than you deserve. 

Congratulations Jonesy!

Not only should you play your 300th, but enjoy and participate in the excitement of what is unfolding in 2021

The words 'star' and 'superstar' are thrown around now like colourful confetti. But like confetti, it does not last.

The word for Jones is 'champion'.   Champion player, champion person. Congratulations Nathan.

What was the stat from last week, I think it was he has played the most games of any player to never have been in a side to be on top of the ladder. MFC the gift that just kept of giving. 

Are we going to have a banner for the great man. Noticed none so far this year are the Afl still worried about players catching covid from crepe paper?

42 minutes ago, Cards13 said:

What was the stat from last week, I think it was he has played the most games of any player to never have been in a side to be on top of the ladder. MFC the gift that just kept of giving. 

299 now. If we win this week, because the dogs will win v GWS, it'll be 300.

If we can win this week, he might get his chance at 301. Dogs v Tiges Friday night football, and us to tear the Kangas apart in Taswegia (with Ben Brown turning up for a reverse Kingsley 10 goals vs his old club).

Imagine that. 7-0, atop the ladder, 301 games.

7 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

Are we going to have a banner for the great man. Noticed none so far this year are the Afl still worried about players catching covid from crepe paper?

Banners are back baby.

He deserves all the success in the world, what a legend and the true definition of underrated.

For a decade Melbourne supporters would drag themselves to games knowing we would lose. They would also drag themselves to games knowing that our captain would be giving his all.

Nathan Jones is a warrior. A player who has carried himself with quiet dignity through years of working in a toxic, negative and more often than not losing environment. He withstood board meltdowns, countless coaches, and multiple trashings, and he did it all while putting his body on the line every week, getting every inch of skills out of his body, and leading a revolving door of players. 

In an environment that is often marked by a lack of loyalty, money chasing, and easy premiership grabbing, Jones has stood out as a beacon of a team first player. A player who puts his teammates, his club and the jumper above all else. 

We are so lucky to have found Jones, to have had him at our lowest moments as our shinning light in endless darkness.

What a deserving milestone to play 300 games for a club you fought so hard for, for so long, and to now be playing in a winning side that you helped to nurture. 

Congratulations Jonesy on 300 wonderful games. Nobody is more deserving of this accolade than you.

34 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

Are we going to have a banner for the great man. Noticed none so far this year are the Afl still worried about players catching covid from crepe paper?

the nrl are doing it, storm at aami on sat had a banner

It seems a long while since there were threads about Jones not getting to 300.  Easy as.

Would we even have a club to rave about this year if Jones had've chased success during our dark years? Probably, but I shudder to think where we'd be at.

300 games is a huge milestone - particularly for MFC. He's outlasted many titans of the club. Well done and congratulations Chunk (presuming nothing untoward happens on the training track or selection table this week!).

Never mind about playing 300 games. Jones talking about playing finals this season.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/this-year-is-different-jones-says-dees-are-better-than-2018-20210419-p57kby.html

 

Edited April 19, 20214 yr by John Crow Batty