What would Nathan Jones do?

It’s a mantra that Melbourne’s current No. 2 Jacob van Rooyen has used to attack his first years on an AFL list.

A cafe meet-up when the 194cm forward-on-the-rise was offered Jones’ guernsey number, has cemented the former Demon captain as a mentor in the eyes of van Rooyen.

“Before my first game, I went and caught up and had a coffee with Jonesy,” van Rooyen says.

He kind of just worded me up a bit and just said, it's your time now.

“Don't worry about who's worn the jumper before. We've done our things in it. It's your time now, and it's time for you to make your own legacy.”

The relationship has continued, with Jones acting as a sounding board for the third-year player.

“He's someone who I've also texted a few times, just about little things,” van Rooyen says.

“He's always someone good to look back on and look at how he did it, because he was such a strong figure at this football club, especially in the early parts of his career when the club wasn't going so great.”

07:18

Van Rooyen talks expectation | Melbourne Mindset

Jacob Van Rooyen sat down to discuss how he deals with the expectation of AFL Football the latest edition of the Melbourne Mindset, presented by IG.

It was a significant decision to award van Rooyen with Jones’ number, with the young spearhead yet to make his debut at the time.

“I was back in Perth. It was over the offseason. Alan Richardson gave me a call,” van Rooyen says.

“He said we think you play the right way – you play hard and fierce just like Jonesy did. Do you want to wear the number?

“I took it as an absolute honour.  It's been worn by greats. Jonesy and Robert Flower before him – it’s a pretty significant number in the club's history.”

Some may have struggled with the pressure of carrying such a legacy.

Hype was building for the uncapped key forward, who had booted 36 goals as an 18-year-old in a VFL premiership-winning season.

Such performances are rare for key forwards learning their trade against the mature bodies of the VFL.

Calls for the West Australian’s debut were growing to a crescendo throughout the 2023 pre-season, so much so that Channel 7 selected the young Demon for their yearly broadcast shoot.

Yet to play an AFL game, van Rooyen was one of the select names Channel 7 had chosen to capture vision of for the year ahead.

“It was surreal really. I'd never done anything like that before,” van Rooyen says as he remembers lining up alongside Melbourne’s biggest names.

“Going to the media day and getting suited up with the Max Gawns, Christian Petraccas, Clayton Olivers of our team – I'm just thinking I'm nowhere near them.

“It also gave me sense of trust and felt like I was going where I needed to go, if they (Channel 7) see me and want that footage of me to use throughout the year at some points.”

Fans had been calling for a van Rooyen debut for some time by that media shoot, but the young Demon was glad the club hadn’t thrown him to the wolves earlier.

“I wasn't physically fit enough and just wasn't ready at that time,” van Rooyen says when reflecting on his first year at the club.

“The club knew that, and we'd gone over that as well.

I was only 19 years old, and they’ve been doing this for 100 years. It was about trusting the coaches and the high-performance program that they're all going to do the best thing for me.”

He credits a full year developing in the VFL as crucial to sticking in the AFL side once arriving at the top level.

“I knew I going into a strong team and I probably wasn't just going to walk straight into the side. I knew I had to crack in and work hard if I was going to get an opportunity,” he says.

“It was really enjoyable to be part of the system and play footy within the club, and there were also a lot of strong players in the VFL side at that point, like Adam Tomlinson, Luke Dunstan.

“They're all really mature and experienced players and it was really comforting to have those guys around because there was always someone you can look to and lean on.

“I wasn't thrown in the deep end into the top level. I got to work on my craft and learn the game plan, learn the structures at a lower level where I didn't have too much pressure of getting dropped or performing week in, week out.”

If van Rooyen’s current form is indicative of the plan’s success, then it has passed with flying colours.

With 10 goals in his past five matches, van Rooyen is in the midst of one of the hottest patches of his fledgling career.

Paired with the developing Daniel Turner in attack, the club is steadfast in developing continuity in its forward mix with defender-turned-forward Harrison Petty.