NATHAN Jones says he can’t wait to play against his youngest brother Zak for the first time – in any football match – when the two meet at the SCG on Sunday.
Zak, who will play his 26th AFL match for Sydney this round, will come up against Melbourne for the first time in an AFL match, meaning he will also be pitted against his oldest brother Nathan, lining up for his 214th AFL match.
For the Melbourne skipper, it’s a moment he’s “pretty excited about to be honest”.
“With Zak being my youngest brother and there being seven years between us, I’ve never really had the chance to cross paths with him [on the football ground], except when we were younger, playing in the backyard,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“We’ve never played in the same team, but to play in the same game at the highest level is something I’m really looking forward to – it’s going to be exciting.
“We’re both really competitive, and our Mum and Dad will be up there watching, but we haven’t spoken much about footy this week on the phone. I think we’re both looking forward to it – and hopefully I’ll get one up on him.”
The triple best and fairest winner said he could even spend time on Zak.
“Potentially that could happen, but I’ve been a bit all over the place recently, playing half-forward, wing and half-back and he’s mainly played across half-back, so we might cross paths at some stage,” he said.
“If he plays up on the wing, it could happen, as he normally gets a run through the middle, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
“The main thing is that we get the job done, so I’ve got all of the bragging rights.”
And big brother has already warned little brother not to get involved in any wrestling out on the ground, as Nathan has had a few costly wrestling sanctions this season.
“I’ve actually already warned him [about wrestling me],” he said.
“He’s staying at my house for four days, so if he engages in any kind of wrestle and I get fined out of it, he’ll be paying for it.
“That’ll cover the duration that he’s staying at my house as well.”
