CHUNK TURNS TIDE
SKIPPER TASTES SUCCESS AFTER SOME TRYING YEARS
YOU can measure the career of Nathan Jones in two ways.
One with the statistics and one with the heart.
I’m going to throw most of the stats away and look into the soul of a warrior who has carried the Melbourne Football Club through its darkest hour and now can see a shining light.
I first came across “Chunk” when my good mate Paul Hopgood was his coach in Mt Eliza. He stood out.
Strong. Assured. Footy smarts. He was a leader. He was always going to play AFL.
Pick 12 in the 2005 national draft he debuted in Round 17, against the Dogs, and played out the year under Neale Daniher.
The Dees made the finals that year. They won their first but lost their second and haven’t been back since.
From there the coaching roller-coaster started.
Daniher was replaced mid2007 by Mark Riley, who was replaced at the end of the year by Dean Bailey.
Through all that Jones was consistent. In only his second year he finished second in the club best-and-fairest award.
He had immediate love for the jumper and an unbridled will to win.
The skies dimmed even more over the club.
Wooden-spoons, debt, more coaching departures and champion players shoved out the door.
Jones was a rock. With each falling hair came a new tattoo. He was a fan favourite.
The story goes that when Paul Roos was tossing up whether to coach the club he sat down with Jonesy and a few other senior players.
To Roos, the group looked heartbroken.
They grew up loving this game and they’d played their hearts out for a club that needed serious rebuilding.
When Roos took the job, the blood started pumping.
It wasn’t easy for Jones, now the captain.
He had to lead this group, a very young group, through more losses as they learned how to play footy again.
He had to be the voice of positivity.
Fronting the fans and the media after defeats was so hard, but he could finally see a transformation was underway.
He won three consecutive best-and-fairests. The only other Demon to do that was Jim Stynes.
Should we be talking about them in the same article? My word we should.
They are two unflinching champions of the red and blue.
The strength Jones has shown to will himself to keep playing this game, in the hope that one day the tide will turn, has been immense. And it has turned. He’s now part of a very powerful midfield group.
As he strides out for his 250th game this weekend, he will be a very proud man.
He has loyalty and he’s proved it.
This is his club, his team and this is our day to celebrate him.