Jones

[Bartram_Class]

It appears the rise of young midfielder Nathan Jones is continuing at the Melbourne Football Club.

After impressing the red and blue faithful with his Round 17 debut last year, Jones was soon a NAB AFL Rising Star nominee after his fourth match, having won 25 disposals against the Kangaroos.

He remained in Melbourne's senior line-up for the rest of the 2006 season, having finished the year with eight AFL matches to his name, after he was the club's first selection in the 2005 NAB AFL Draft.

Now entering his second AFL-listed season, Jones is Melbourne's 'flyer' on the training track at this stage of the pre-season, having dropped almost 10 kilograms since Melbourne's season ended against Fremantle in last year's finals series.

"I was asked to lose a bit of weight over the actual break, so I went and lost between five and seven kilos. I think I weighed 87-and-a-half (kilograms) at the end of last year and now I weigh 79 or 80 (kilograms)," Jones said.

"We had our end-of-season review and I spoke to the coach (Neale Daniher) and he said: 'I'm happy with how you started (your career), but you just need to be able to run more and find a model'.

"I model myself on hard-running players - (Robert) Harvey, (Ben) Cousins and (Daniel) Kerr - and the West Coast midfield is how Melbourne's trying to model itself on and the best teams - Sydney and West Coast."

"We need to have our midfield running as good as them and they (the coaching staff) said I was too heavy for how tall I was."

Jones is now the fittest of his brief career, adding that his endurance has 'probably got better' because of his training program. He added that some variations to his diet and weights program were key factors to a significant body alteration.

"I had to lose a bit of weight and I've slowed down doing weights and just got onto a new diet and that's probably the reason why I've been running alright," Jones said.

"I just watched what I ate and spoke to the dietician at the end of last year and I didn't do weights for a while and I did a couple of runs a week during the break and it was more watching what I ate and it wasn't so much fatty foods - it was more carbohydrates."

"It was more about (eating) specific amounts. I'm not skinny, but I've just dropped body fat and trimmed down a little bit, whereas when I first got there (to the club), I was between 82 and 84 kilos and because I was doing a lot of weights - heavy weights - it was not the right weights."

"It made me bulk up a lot in my upper body and what I've really done is trim down a bit and lose body fat, which has made me run quicker, but I haven't lost much strength."

Jones reflected on his past 12 months with the Demons and said the journey so far has been a 'dream come true'.

"You get to the club and wonder whether you can get a game and once I got to start playing - it was so good that first game - I'll never forget it and then from then on it just got better and better," Jones said.

"The experience I gained in finals (particularly) the one at the MCG against St Kilda - I used to barrack for St Kilda and that was just another dream of mine - to play against them and on guys like Robert Harvey and Luke Ball, who were blokes I grew up admiring."

"To play on them in my first final in front of 90,000 at the 'G was unbelievable.

"Also to the see the ups and down - to win the first week and then to go over to Fremantle and get spanked - you see the highs and lows of playing good one week and playing s*** the next week and how demanding it is, so it was a massive eye-opener, so hopefully it'll hold me in good stead for this year."

Great article IMO, seems a good level headed bloke. Interesting to see the coaching staff thought he was too heavy and here is the picture from that same article, his slimmer body is very visible.

On another note, did we settle on a nickname for Jones?

 

[Deestroy]

Very impressed with this kid. While Bartram had a good start and will be a good stopper I think (hope) Jones will be by far the pick of the draft for us.

 

[The Great Gabsby]

On another note, did we settle on a nickname for Jones?

Well by looking at that pic I guess Chunk is out of the question, he really has trimmed down!

 

[bringbackschwarter5]

edit.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

So are the big dont argue fends and amazing for a teen break a tackle with teh hips a thing of the past?

 

[Bartram_Class]

His kicking style looks disconcertingly like Ben Hollands in that picture.

 

[CaptainDavey]

I don't know who I like better...Brock or Jonesy....Oh the embarrassment of riches

 

[Bring-Back-Powell]

I don't know who I like better...Brock or Jonesy....Oh the embarrassment of riches

and what about the Master!