Universal Love #2 Nathan Jones - Retired. Thank you Chunk

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Are you really disappointed that he is going to keep some kid who would have been drafted in the rookie draft with no exposed form for 12 months off the list?

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Taking a punt on a kid who could become a player (no matter how small the chance) is far better than handing out contracts to someone who categorically won't do s**t I would have thought.
 
Taking a punt on a kid who could become a player (no matter how small the chance) is far better than handing out contracts to someone who categorically won't do sh*t I would have thought.
The fact that Jones has ben resigned probably goes to show what the recruiters think of the draft

If we lost a promising player in order to keep Jones, I would totally see the issue with keeping him around for depth

But that doesn't really seem to be the case
 

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Crusty Demon

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 20, 2009
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The fact most Melbourne supporters want him to play on just shows you the state of this club. We are at a point where we are handing out charity games are we? Why the fu** should we if we have any sort of finals aspirations.

The one man makes no difference argument is bullshit, it's a mindset thing. We'll carry someone to 300 games and take our eye completely off the ball which is winning football games.

If he was performing like someone like Burgoyne I'd completely understand it. This isn't an age thing. This is a Jones is genuinely sh*t now at football thing.
F*** off with your charity games! This club been handing out charity games for 50 years. F*** sake, we handed out charity games all season to Harmes and just about everyone front of centre.

Yep, Jones may well be done, but he deserves 300 more than anyone who has played for us in the past 2 decades. Showed loyalty when most didn't amidst one of the worst era's by any club at any stage. Not many of our players in the past 5 decades have the respect of the footy world outside our club like Nathan Jones. Anyone saying he don't deserve 300, or will be the worst player to reach 300 can GAGF!
 
F*** off with your charity games! This club been handing out charity games for 50 years. F*** sake, we handed out charity games all season to Harmes and just about everyone front of centre.

That's the reason why we are still a s**t team. Such a losers mindset.

Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Don't sook when we are garbage again ok?
 

Crusty Demon

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 20, 2009
7,864
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That's the reason why we are still a sh*t team.

Can't have our cake and eat it too.

Don't sook when we are garbage again ok?
But we've been garbage my whole life. So wtf is wrong with wanting to see a club great get to 300 who has actually shown loyalty during a horrible era for our club? Like a lot on here, i can be a pessimistic ahole, but some of the comments towards Jones on here is truly disrespectful. Wtf have we had to celebrate in the past 15 years?? 1 finals appearance! So forgive me for wanting to see a loyal club great reach 300, which has ridiculously only been done once before at our club.

And he might not even get there. The club has given him a chance to reach the milestone. At this stage no guarantees. I fully support that. I'm sure the club will try and get him there. And I for one hope he does.
 
But we've been garbage my whole life. So wtf is wrong with wanting to see a club great get to 300 who has actually shown loyalty during a horrible era for our club? Like a lot on here, i can be a pessimistic ahole, but some of the comments towards Jones on here is truly disrespectful. Wtf have we had to celebrate in the past 15 years?? 1 finals appearance! So forgive me for wanting to see a loyal club great reach 300, which has ridiculously only been done once before at our club.

And he might not even get there. The club has given him a chance to reach the milestone. At this stage no guarantees. I fully support that. I'm sure the club will try and get him there. And I for one hope he does.

We've been a crap team my whole life too remember. Sick of it.

I don't hate Jones believe it or not, my outburst was more in frustration coz I knew if he wanted to go on this club would be dumb enough to give him another contract. And I was spot on.

Can't trust these campaigners to do anything right.

Let's celebrate 300 game milestones coz the team won't ever be any good. Fantastic life goals we have.
 
300 games just isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just a number. There’s as much romance in falling tragically but nobly short as there is in falling over the line IMO.

it’s not a bad list of players who’ve fallen a season short

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Billy Demon

Senior List
Jun 12, 2011
253
342
AFL Club
Melbourne
We are not Top4 with or without Jones , and with or without B Brown. The comp doesn’t freeze if we happen to improve 10 or 20% - there will be other teams improving at the same rate or more. We will need a paradigm shift to leapfrog into the Top4 and that includes a new coach etc. And that won’t happen next year.
 
We are not Top4 with or without Jones , and with or without B Brown. The comp doesn’t freeze if we happen to improve 10 or 20% - there will be other teams improving at the same rate or more. We will need a paradigm shift to leapfrog into the Top4 and that includes a new coach etc. And that won’t happen next year.

So let's accept sticking with a losing formula on the basis of we won't win a flag next year.

Like I said. Loser mindset.

Gotta start a change sometime. If we keep kicking the can down the road forever nothing will ever change.

Next year Melbourne will be more ruthless! I promise!
 
We are not Top4 with or without Jones , and with or without B Brown. The comp doesn’t freeze if we happen to improve 10 or 20% - there will be other teams improving at the same rate or more. We will need a paradigm shift to leapfrog into the Top4 and that includes a new coach etc. And that won’t happen next year.
I certainly think we can be top 4 next year.

As for Jones, there should be no guarantees he makes it to 300 games.

He is a guy that a lot of our playing list look up to, a positive for the playing group to have him on the list in a player/coaching role, showing him loyalty giving him the chance to get to 300 and possibly one last stint at playing finals for him.
 
I certainly think we can be top 4 next year.

As for Jones, there should be no guarantees he makes it to 300 games.

He is a guy that a lot of our playing list look up to, a positive for the playing group to have him on the list in a player/coaching role, showing him loyalty giving him the chance to get to 300 and possibly one last stint at playing finals for him.

I'll wager significantly with anyone that he will get to 300 games if he avoids Injury. And it won't be coz he's in ripping form.
 

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I'll wager significantly with anyone that he will get to 300 games if he avoids Injury. And it won't be coz he's in ripping form.
Probably but I wouldn’t 100% guarantee it.

This is a big year for the club and coaches, we were 9th this year just missing finals. The fan base is restless, even though the fans would love seeing Jones get to 300 I’m not sure they are going to gift him getting there.

Was dropped earlier this year, if he isn’t good enough next year I don’t think they’ll be picking him.
 

Billy Demon

Senior List
Jun 12, 2011
253
342
AFL Club
Melbourne
So let's accept sticking with a losing formula on the basis of we won't win a flag next year.

Like I said. Loser mindset.

Gotta start a change sometime. If we keep kicking the can down the road forever nothing will ever change.

Next year Melbourne will be more ruthless! I promise!
You missed the point. Dropping Jones and recruiting Brown for example does not give us a winning formula. We need significant change on and off the field. Culture, admin, and obviously players and coaches. Ok let’s keep you happy and tell Jones to F off . I’m okay with that if that will get us Top 4 . But if you have a grand plan beyond that tell us more. It’s nice and easy taking pot shots at everyone without throwing your own ideas on the table .
 
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So let's accept sticking with a losing formula on the basis of we won't win a flag next year.

Like I said. Loser mindset.

Gotta start a change sometime. If we keep kicking the can down the road forever nothing will ever change.

Next year Melbourne will be more ruthless! I promise!
I don't think Jones represents the loser culture that you think he does. A loser culture is pumping games into young kids who haven't shown much at VFL level and hoping they'll come good. Jonesy will play mostly at Casey next season and players like Sparrow and Jordon will undoubtedly benefit from that.
 
There's no doubt that the club is looking at the peripheral benefits of keeping Jones for one more season because it sure isn't his on field presence at AFL level.
I for one am not too perturbed by it as (assuming we get the targets we are after this trade/FA period) it is a position better vacated next year from a list management perspective.

The 300 games, if he gets there means he will be our 2nd 300 gamer ever (lol) - an accolade I won't begrudge him and one that the club IMO is keen to get to.

He needs 6 games to hit the 300. IMO they will give him a few games early on (depending on how he trains) to see where he is at. That will be at least 2 or 3. If he stinks it up they are in the ball park if they wish to nurse him to 300 later in the season but they won't want to leave it too late in the event we are in finals contention. Then it becomes a bigger issue of priorities.

Tulip you make a reasonable point about his experience and benefit of having him around the Casey boys but I think he needs to seriously up his game as a part of that if he is to lead by example and not just words.

My impression of Jones this year was that he just wasn't in it enough to have an impact in any key area.

I perused AFL Tables (a great site) and it confirmed what I think a lot of people observed in season 2020, I hate to say it but he was a floater.

Average disposals per game: 13 (not too worried about that, the younger guys should be getting the footy more anyway) and less game time with shorter quarters. Not great though.

Average Tackles per game: 1.625 (this is where his shortcomings are starting to stand out). For a midfielder this is way down and he is in Charlie Spargo territory. If he can't make an impact with the footy this is one area he can make up for it but in 2020 it was poor.

Now for what I think is a damning stat no matter how you look at it. AFL Tables does not clearly define what a 1%er is but I think we can all agree they are the result of putting in that extra effort and they can lift team mates. Jones played 8 games in 2020. Of all the players who played 8 games or more in season 2020, Jones was the only player in the entire competition not to have a single 1%er recorded to his name. I don't care how much credence you give to that stat, it tells me he was mentally easing back and he was no where near the footy.

I've always loved Jones' spirit and attitude and I think his spot on our list next year can be justified with reservations. The caveat is that if he doesn't lift in some key areas then he will make our FD look quite silly. There were games this year where he looked absolutely out of it. If he wants to hit that 300 and set an example at Casey then he at least has to get the simple things right. Words and experience aren't enough.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
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I really think people are over complicating this, I don't think Jones is chasing 300, I think Jones wants to try and play in his 3rd finals series in 15 years. He might not be good enough to make the side but campaigners thinking keeping him as the 38th player on the list is a negative are just silly.
 

piesforever20

Senior List
Jan 18, 2020
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Collingwood
Sorry to intrude (this is very off topic) but I’m hearing McDonald to Collingwood. Is he a good bloke?
 

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