Demon retires full of pride
MELBOURNE veteran Nathan Jones has shared his pride in helping leave the Demons in a “better place” amid the emotions of missing a Grand Final after officially announcing his retirement from the AFL.
The 33-year-old informed his teammates of his decision to call time on his career via a Zoom call to their Joondalup hub after returning to Melbourne to be at the birth of his twins. As Melbourne chases its first premiership since 1964, the tough midfielder has become the hard luck story of the Demons’ campaign after making the heart-breaking decision to leave the team ahead of the Grand Final to be with his pregnant wife, Jerri, as his prospects of earning a recall for the decider appeared slim.
Jones arrived home with just hours to spare to see Odie Reign and Dove Margot born on Sunday morning.
The club stalwart leaves the game after 302 matches in the red and blue just four games short of the club record after making his debut for the Demons in 2006. The three-time best and fairest winner posted a hearfelt message on Instagram thanking the diehard Melbourne supporters, his family and the club for helping him throughout his rollercoaster career.
“It feels like yesterday accepting my first jumper from the late great Robbie Flower,” Jones said. “Fortunate enough to be bestwoed with such an honor to carry the (number) two.”
Jones admitted it was a bittersweet feeling to be missing the Grand Final but he is still filled with “joy” to see the team make it to the big dance.
“I’ve had a lot of emotions go through my mind from how it’s all unfolded,” he said. “It’s been disappointing, to say the least, knowing the work I’ve put in. But what I want to stress is that regardless of that I am still filled with the utmost amount of joy, happiness and pride for the position the club is now in.”