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Nathan Jones has just assured himself of outright club legend status. The 'one club' loyalty he is showing is vastly underrated in this competition, and it speaks to a level of commitment and integrity that goes beyond the ''me, me, me, I want more money, I want premierships, I want to be a star" that we so often see. 3 'blueys', captaincy for the next 4 or 5 years, riding with the club to expected improvement, you are a class act Nathan Jones, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

I went to training yesterday and have been to a few others, the beauty of being a teacher on holidays. I also coach a local football team, so I often watch lots of teams train to find new drills and ideas. Some points I have noticed about the training: Everything is so much more structured and organised now,Marley any instructions needed, everyone knows what is going on and where to go, it is all ingrained into them now. All of the drills involve a lot, and I mean a lot, of hard and continuous running and work at pace. It is very realistic as the running is done in bursts,much like in game day. A lot of the drills have the idea of team work, quick movement, run and carry It is pleasing to see in the drills there are lots of specific smaller things being taught. In one yesterday they took a mark on the HBF boundary. They had to push back hard, look inboard for a short kick and then Rawlings who was on the mark would call play on and they would have to kick to a 1 on 1 marking duel on the boundary wing. Rawlings would praise or criticise dependent on how hard they pushed back, did they look inboard, did they kick the ball close enough to the boundary and did they kick it to advantage. All very simple ideas, but the basics must be done perfectly to be a better team. This is just one example of heaps they are now doing. (This is my coaching coming out here, but I love to see this). The overall skills look so much better, the drills are not so difficult but the ball is moving faster and less mistakes than I can remember. In regards to individuals, I spent a bit of time watching some for a while each lately: Hogan is a beast and loves training, always seems to be enjoying himself and is so competitive. Enjoyed watching him compete in the 1 on 1's, he is going to monster some players, especially uses his body well when the ball is kicked to his advantage. Also really athletic and involved in other drilled, should be able to push higher up the ground too. Oscar McDonald has really good kicking skills for a tall player, bloody skinny though. Petracca is so powerful, his leap off no run up looks massive in the drills. Still needs to work on his kicking under fatigue, missed a few later in the session as was annoyed with himself. Newton looks like a good old fashioned footballer, doesn't make many mistakes and does all things well. Bradshaw looks impressive but seems to slow down a bit too much before delivery, not sure if it is my imagination, but will be interesting to see how he goes in a game. His skills on both sides are really good and his in close hands are exceptional. Howe looks super quick at training, should be able to play more forward and use his pace and leap again. Viney is a beast, is working super hard on his kicking skills every time I am there, but he is just a bull and is so hard to stop. Dawes seems to be clunking more marks in one go, anymore than I can remember, which is a great sign. HL is in everything, very vocal and highly skilled, will be a very good player for us. Finally, Dom Tyson is a gun, if we start winning more games, get on him for a Brownlow!!! (Maybe I should not say that!) his skills are so good, he is so smooth and just glides around, best thing I saw though is that he is being more vocal, directing people, telling people off for not doing the right thing, he may be a new leader this year in my opinion. Any questions will be happy to answer as I have seen a few sessions.

Enjoy Flash ==>http://www.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=46422912&AlbumKey=C6rRCS Ipad (html5)==>http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-v5DCN/i-J9Cwnmj/A

Agreed Webber. Not sure if Nathan is aware of how much he means to us or how much this means to us, but he's taken up the opportunity to enter a league of beloved that very few players get the opportunity to join. I think it was Chook in Perth who made this point months ago. I was never in doubt that he'd sign, but I'm still relieved and bloody stoked. Grinning from ear to ear. Love you Jonesy!

It appears I'm being followed by a moonshadow.

Get down off the high horse and give me a bloody hug.

Secured until 2019!

Anyone who doesn't understand the true importance and value of Nathan Jones, obviously hasn't sat through the past 6 years and watched this man work his arse off to improve individually and to improve our team, every. single.week! Jonesy, you are a star and you make me proud to be a Melbourne supporter. Very happy to have you on board for life!

On a reality level i find it amusing and unbelievable as to the extent of denial many an Essendon tragic are defending. Even when presented with a truckload of reason they will not believe there has been any real wrongdoing and more the point anything provable. It also amuses me how so many just dont understand the nature of proceedings or the difference in the level of evidence and/or proof required to reach a finding , a finding by the way that only requires a comfortable satisfaction as to the events. Many of us joined the Dots a long time ago but its not that hard. Hird is exposed to various substances as a course of his treatment for some nasty injuries.. He crosses to the Dark Side Hird enquired ( possibly experiments ) with a number of Peptides kindly supplied by Dr Ageless.. Wasnt up to speed apparently with results and effects.. who's to know...was a bit stiff I suppose Hird and a number of nongs self help with various 'goodies" ...Speaking of Goodies our ( now ) own Goodwin is amongst the nongs, since repentant Hird enlists his ol' mate Charters and together with his "Weapon" solicits help and product from a wonderful human being in one Stephen Dank In the meantime the AFL is somewhat suss and concerned about whispers and has a talk to Hirdy. Hirdy disregards everything as he knows better. Various quantities of 'dubious' supplements are sourced and bought though amazingly no records of purchases seem to exist other than an apparent 'mistaken' invoice for something they didnt really get....no no no, no siree !!! A program is instituted at Windy Hill. This involves the intake and/or injection of any number of questionable concoctions. Prior to this and despite being educated to the converse players sign waivers to something rather ambiguous at best and disturbingly and deliberately mischievious at worst, something called 'Thymosin" Now this Thymosin, known to the many as "The Good Stuff" ( and fundamental to the program as alluded to by Dank ) is something that required compounding. The 'harmless" and also effectively useless ( to athletes ) version Thymosin-1 aka Thymosin Alpha or even more commonly referred to as Thymomodulin doesnt actually require compounding. You can readily source it from any number of places , just google it and it's there. Also as a point of interest it comes ready to use. NO COMPOUNDING REQUIRED. For some odd reason the supplier apparently used by Ageless doesnt supply Thymomodulin , they deal in the 'other' stuff (s) A very big program covering a number of 'supplements" , a large group of players over an extended period of time and lo and behold we cant find any records..!! bugger , dog must have eaten them !! But what ever it was was safe...really No records, no invoices ?? No conscience and no morality more like it. There is no paper trail or anything to suggest Essendon attempted ( even as a bogus cover up ) to buy legal supplements. All dealings are with shonks who are known to deal 'the good stuff" Danks Clinic ONLY deals in the good lollies. The requirement of a Compounding Chemist points to TB-4 as Thomodulin doesnt need one ( compounding pharmacist ) Texts, interviews etc have all caught Danks out referring to TB-4 the physical changes to essendon players all suggest TB-4 Looks like, sounds like, walks like a bloody Duck QUACK !!

Imo Jones is a true leader. He could of easily waited and got higher offers throughout next season which would have been a massive destraction but instead he has been willing to negotiate and put it to bed now. He deserves to be our sole captain. Go Jonesy

I really do hope Fitz can make it. I've backed him from before he was drafted and he would just be a great story for the club, as well as giving us another scoring option. Even if he goes at two goals a game as he has shown he can so far, that's 40+ for the season, well above what we've been getting from any players the last few years. If we got that from Fitz, Hogan and Garlett our attack would look far better. I've said it before, if you watch live games you will see Watts leading time after time and being ignored by his teammates. He will burn off his opponent and lead into wide open spaces seven or eight times to get one pass which is generally directed behind him to his opponent's advantage. It's no wonder he always looks stuffed. If we can get some better kicking and decision-making at half back and through the midfield you will see Watts' possession count skyrocket as they actually take the option he presents and put the ball to his advantage. Once the ball is in his hands there are no worries.

Everyone back to the Dangerfield thread....

In an increasingly mercenary world It's so nice to see someone who still espouses old fashioned values such as loyalty, dedication and commitment. Nathan Jones you are an individual of the highest order, and I am so proud that you are the captain of the team I love.

mods, can someone check od's ip address, seems someone has hijacked his logon

Great news as it is an example to others and the elimination of a distraction.

Was there ever any doubt? Nathan is in a different class to James. Great news.

Was never in doubt, only to the large group of "Wo is me handwringing MFC supporters" what this proves is As you say Jones is a born leader and a different beast to Frawley Loyalty is not dead in football Demonland has a number of supporters for whom no instant news means the sky is falling, who need to have a good look at themselves Jonesy is a champion despite possibly ending his career without a Premiership medallion The phrase Premiership player is possibly the most overated in football, sure we all want to win one but timing is everything and it doesn't lessen your impact on the game in any way Jonesy can honestly say he bleeds red and blue.

It is interesting isn't it. One thing seemingly all journos commenting on this palaver agree on (perhaps the only thing) is that ASADA have been poor/shoddy. I recall the lambasting the old CEO (whose name escapes me - Androuska?) copped after being cross examined in the Middleton trial. Well Middleton didn't share the view of the peanut gallery and in fact went to some lengths to praise how considered she was in her responses and point out that she and ASADA had in fact been quite effective and the process she followed in terms of delegation were standard business practice. He even praised the joint investigation as a model, a model which had been roundly panned. Not surprisingly this praise for ASADA was not highlighted and i don't recall a single journno even reconsidering their negative assessments, let alone change them.

I have an idea: We leave it how it is until the season stars. Then with every win we add a person to the banner. It can be based on how overall deserving they were or it can be if they are best on ground and a key part of winning that game. Then as the season goes on hopefully we have lots of faces on the banner.

It might have been the 2nd or 3rd premiership, but it was definitely a premiership with Goodwin as coach.

The NRL case is quite different. It only lasted for weeks not years, it was not systematic and only covered a few players, and the evidence of what was taken was circumstantial at best. Crucially though, Cronulla fully cooperated and at the end of the day admitted guilt, as did the players. ESSENDON and to some extent the AFL have fought this every inch of the way, admitted no guilt, but the evidence which is starting to emerge from ASADA in the latest court cases appears to be overwhelming. It was systematic, prolonged, lethal to the players involved and clearly designed to cheat.and still the players and the club admit no guilt and maintain they did nothing wrong, blame ASADA for delaying the settlement while doing everything possible to tie it up in the Courts. If you look at WADA's international record, they do not take kindly to this sort of behaviour and have a record of winning in CAS. Hird and his cabal of sympathisers in the Australian media can grandstand as much as they like in Australia, but it will make no difference when the WADA/ASADA case eventually is presented in a Swiss court.

I think many underestimate Fitz. He still is very young for a tall and has had health/injury issues. With further development and support could be very very handy.

Absolute legend. Now I hope the idiots around him help him see some finals action. I've distanced myself from having favourites as I've become bitter and pessimistic over the years, but I love a fighter, and I love a good consistent player, which has even seemed like too much to ask for at this club in recent years. I love Jonesy. I want us to succeed just for him.

Yewwww!!!

When I heard the news I instantly had a vision of Jones and Goodwin holding up a premiership cup. I hope it's an accurate premonition. Good on you Jonesy.

One all AA year. I think supporters hold on to that and perhaps forget what his form has been like since then. Here's a bit of perspective. Nathan Jones has never been an AA but have a look his gradual improvement since he was drafted and what he is now achieving and producing onfield and off-field. Frawley's form was all over the shop and in my eyes, he never displayed strong leadership on or off-field. I've always thought he was expendable. Strong defence is built as a side. And a strong side is built up of strong personalities as well as talent. As RPFC has said, on recent form he wasn't our best defender (part of the reason he played forward this year). I honestly don't think he's any sort of loss. We've gained in many ways with his departure and we'll start to see that in the not too distant future.

I agree BB, I dont think ASADA did too much wrong in this investogation. They not have been equipt for the scale of the investigation and obvioulsy were pathfinding for much of it, but reviews by eminant lawyers and rulings by Justice Middleton suggest that very little has been done wrong. Two separate AFP enquiries have failed to identify a leak from ASADA. You could argue that obtaining signed affidavits from witnesses was an omission but they have taped interviews and trancripts and witnes statements that are all admissible. You could also argue that the matterdragged on for too long from the blackest day in sport to the issuing of the show cause but 12 months for that sort of investigastion is not uncommon and osme of that delay was caused by the defendants actions. I think much of the negative perception of ASADA is a product of the media chasing a headline and the PR machine of Hird, Essendon and Dank feeding the media. Say it often enough and it becomes a fact.

What a star. This bloke should be considered amongst names like Stynes, Neitz, Flower and Barrassi. He is our only A grader and without doubt the heart and soul of this club. I was not a big fan of him being given the captaincy but happy to say I was very very wrong. Jones is a champion. Best news so far next to Roos and PJ extending their contracts. This bloke deservers to hold a premisership cup up on grand final day and I hope by 2019 he gets to do it. Bring on 2015, cant wait to see the next evolution under Roos.

After the last few years when almost everyone that mattered left at the fist chance, it was just such an important signing. One club players like this, at sides (like ours) that are both lower profile and have lower success may become rarer and rarer. Nathan Jones enters a rarefied world at MFC with this....and he restores some of my pride in the joint. Love him.

I wouldn't advise them to read this site even when we are winning. It's like social media, the players don't real time updates of what the fans think of them. There is no value for the players to get involved in a forum designed to dissect the club they play at and the players themselves. They get the drift from those leaning over the fence in games anyway...

I'm trying to think if I've ever been more relieved by a re-signing. I remember being excited when Tingay rejected a massive offer from Freo in the mid-90s, but given the current free agency climate and our last eight years, this is huge. I didn't think he'd leave, but this avoids a whole year of speculation and trial by media. In addition, after Melbourne barnstorm their way to the next 5 premierships from 8th position, iron man Jones will pass David Neitz as Melbourne's games record holder in the 2019 semi.

Spoken by Demonlands very own clairvoyant, list management guru.

This all started with getting Roos, getting the culture right and getting the players excited about the clubs future and direction.... Take a bow Peter Jackson. Having PJ is probably the best thing that has happened to the club in the last 20 years. IMO he should be on the banner.

Nice timing, the club obviously heard my concerns and quickly rubber stamped the deal. I don't need to hear it from you guys, but I know you are all very appreciative and thankful of my contribution towards the timely announcement of the new deal. It was never in doubt.

Absolutely brilliant news. Merry Christmas to all Demonlanders. My daughter who is 2 is about to get a jumper with 2 on it, she will wear it to the GF in 2018 with pride. As discussed above a player who turned around from average to our most consistent with hard work and dedication. Our heart and soul.

I'll channel my inner Sweet and Sour Dee here: if Dunn is not put on the DL banner that's it for me with this jumped up joke of a forum/ A joke BTW. Not the Dunn part - he def should go on the banner.

“We’re on the right track now and it’s something I really want to be a part of and make sure I’m leading the way." - Nathan Jones nuff said

Well, just as I thought. A nice Christmas present to the faithful (and some with not so much faith).

Yep great pics, I live in the north east of vic and have never been to training, what i enjoyed was to see the body development in stills We only get down to 1or 2 games a year (redleg member) but 2015 I am gunna bust my fat gut to see a lot more. Regards Dave

I went by for a look today. Not much to add really as most has already been said, but some observations... - Petracca has a beautiful penetrating kick. I was watching him for while and every kick he did whether it be high and low got to his target very quickly. None of those "floaters" that seem to take forever to arrive. - Frost was very vocal and yelling out heaps of encouragement both to the young fellas and the senior guys. Good to see from a young player who has only been at the club for 5 minutes. - Petracca & Brayshaw in comparison seem a lot quieter and less vocal. Sure that will come with time and confidence though. - Bit of a Roos spray after he pulled one drill up... "Now why did that break down? It's three on three and two of you are forward of the ball. It's never going to get out from there, I can tell you that!"

I wonder why?Might have something to do with the results over an eight year period.

Go easy on Ducks BB . . we don't want Laurie Levy writing pro Essendon pieces in the Hun!

i thought the afl banned half sleeves after the ooze tried it on

Err... um ... if the players didn't take nothing ... then why ... er.,um ... is their long term health being monitored at the request of the players association?

I'm stealing Macca's thunder here, but the alarm is set for 5am this Monday. Chiefs-Steelers on 7mate. Time to put the Priest Holmes jersey on for a couple hours.

What if he wants $700k? Or $800k? Send him on his way?

they're all flying oli, get on the bandwaggon man

If you have submitted a "selfie" as your avatar (as I have) then there is a similarity. Perhaps you could lay off the loaves and fishes for a bit!

Pizz off then fair weather supporter. Worst kind of fan there is. I'd bet you'd come running back when we get a few wins saying you'd never given up hope. Go away.

And you believe that?