MATT Burgan catches up with captain Nathan Jones in the lead-up to his 200^th AFL match. Jones reflects on playing through a tough period at the club, the people who have played a key part in his career and his life since becoming a father in the second of a two-part series to celebrate his milestone …

MB: Your resilience has been remarkable. It’s been one of your greatest strengths. Why do you think you’re so durable? 

NJ: I honestly don’t know. Ever since I was a youngster, my parents always encouraged me to do heaps of different sports, so I played and did everything as a kid. I did a lot of athletics and running as well swimming, cycling and surfing along with heaps of footy. I never really pulled the reins in. Sometimes, I was playing around three games a weekend and would fill in an age group or two above after my under 11s game or under 12s game, and play for the under 14s and then maybe a half of the under 16s game. Maybe that’s the secret, but as I’m getting older, it’s getting harder each season. I’ve dealt with a few things here and there and I definitely have to pull the reins back a little bit in terms of just being gung-ho about everything. I think it just comes down to luck really. Touch wood, I haven’t had any horrendous injuries in the middle of the season. I’ve only once ever fractured my spine but that happened in round 22 one year so the 10 weeks I had off was in my off-season, so that didn’t really matter either.

MB: Geelong skipper Joel Selwood recently played his 200^th game in round 19. He made his debut a year after you, but has played in three premierships. Do you ever look at him and think ...

NJ: … About comparing my record to his? No but sometimes I cry myself to sleep over that one! (laughs). No, I don’t think you can get hung up on that too much. You’ve just got to play the cards you’ve been dealt. Sometimes that comes down to luck and other times it comes down to hard work. I’d like to think that I’ve put in a lot effort over however long I’ve been here and at some stage, if I just continue to persist with that, things will turn around. I’ve taken on greater responsibility, particularly as captain but I’m also looking at ways to improve my game individually and just never being satisfied with where I’m at. I hope that it holds me in good stead. I’m good mates with Joel and I haven’t had the discussion with him but I admire what he’s been able to do at Geelong and I really envy it as well. I got to experience that success in my first season but from there we really fell away. I got to play with some great players but we never really regained our footing in terms of where we were at as a club. We had a bit of success under Dean Bailey, but unfortunately we didn’t have the right formula.

MB: What’s it been like being a Melbourne player since 2007 – your second season – when there have been some really difficult times, on and off the field?

NJ: For me, I haven’t got caught up in the innuendo and sometimes it’s hard to block out what people say, but for me, I hold the club dearly in my heart. I love the place and internally now, I really see a clear direction ahead. There are a lot of people who are committed and putting in a lot of hard work and time for us to be a great club. I think we’re well on the way now – we’ve got really good systems in place and we’re continually pushing the playing group to have that ‘never be satisfied’ attitude. Hopefully, the fans can take solace from some of the footy we’ve played this year and some real hope from that.

MB: Have you ever had a serious moment where you’ve thought ‘I’ve had enough of this, I’m going to leave Melbourne’ or ‘I’ve had enough, I’m going to retire from the game?

NJ: Yeah I have had one – 100 per cent (laughs). If you ask my wife, I’ve quit footy and retired that many times! It’s hard when you don’t win as much because that’s what you play footy for. I’m so competitive and I love winning, and I just want to win everything, even if it’s just a one on one touch game at training. That’s been the hardest pill for me to swallow, but I think that every year. You somehow rejuvenate yourself to go again and there’s some renewed hope. I think in my case, I’ve had about seven coaches over the journey, but every year you seem to just reinvigorate yourself and feel like we can make it happen again. For whatever reason, that hasn’t happened over the years but last pre-season with Roosy (Paul Roos) and last year – even though we didn’t win many games – I felt like we’re on the right path. I’ve been reassured again this season with Brendan McCartney and Simon Goodwin coming on board and some of the teachings and coaching that they’ve brought to the group. The last three weeks haven’t been easy. I haven’t played great footy myself and the team has really struggled, so there’s no doubt that negative thoughts have crept into my mind but I think that’s the challenge. You have to continually believe and listen to the people you trust and continue to be positive. One thing we’re really working on as a group is to block out any negativity and just stick to the path and continue to work as hard as we can. That’s what we’re doing at the moment and I’m confident that we’ll get there.

MB: Who have been the players or coaches who have had a major impact on you?

NJ: The one person who had a huge impact on me was Neil Craig – in terms of just really getting me to believe in myself and in the attributes that I bring to the team.  Towards the end of his time here, we had a lot of discussion around leadership and how I can best influence my teammates, so he was huge influence on my career. In the early days, Danners [was influential] ... he really rode me in the post-season meeting [at the end of 2006] about coming back fit. That was probably the first real test of professionalism and sacrifice that I was willing to make to be a good player. It had a huge impact on my second year of footy.

MB: What have been your most treasured memories of your 199 games so far at Melbourne?

NJ: In the early days, I got to play with some real greats of the club like David Neitz, Cam Bruce, Travis Johnstone, Adem Yze, Russell Roberston and Jeff White. They all had their impact on me, but at the time I was probably too young and immature to recognise some of the things I learned. I was fortunate to play a few more years with some of those guys. Probably the one who had the greatest impact was James McDonald. Some of the sacrifices he made to be the best captain he could be and teammate had a huge impact on me. Nowadays, I feel like my greatest growth has come in the last couple of years and I mainly attribute that to Roosy and some of the discussions we’ve had. During those really tough years where we haven’t had much success, I think my own performance was a way of me escaping the losses. If I could walk off the field and feel satisfied that I’d given it my best, irrelevant of the result, I could at least look myself in the mirror. I think that got me through that period. But the discussions that I’ve had with Roosy since he’s been here about expanding my thoughts beyond my individual role and being able to understand the team systems – and how best to influence my teammates through leadership, has been one of the biggest influences on my progression as a player. This season, I’ve worked really closely with Simon Goodwin who has added a layer to that. You might see me play a few different positions over the next couple of years to try and diversify my role within the team, so that we can be the best team and chase down that one thing that we’re all here for.

MB: Is there one particular career highlight that means the most so far? 

NJ: All of the above, although I’d have to say at the moment that captaining the club has been my greatest highlight. To be bestowed that honour for a club with such a rich history, and that’s had so many great players, is probably the greatest honour I’ve had at this stage. The one thing that drives me is to hopefully be a premiership captain – that’s the only reason I’m living right now aside from my young daughter and family. That’s the biggest motivation for me in my sporting career.

MB: You speak about your family with great love and affection, which is fantastic. Can you offer an insight into your family life and how fatherhood has shaped you?

NJ: Angus Brayshaw and my wife have a laugh about it – they call me a Creme Egg: hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Having a child is the one thing that has cracked that hard exterior that I like to put on. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone. As an athlete, you can find yourself being so into your own personal self – in terms of preparing, training and diet. Every decision you make is around performance and that’s not to say that I don’t still do that, but being a father broadens your horizon and opens your perspective on life. I’ve taken so many of our losses to heart and I’ve hung onto them for so long, but having a child now, you go home and she actually brings a smile to your face. Despite how physically and emotionally drained you get, sport is only one part of your life. My wife and family have been a terrific support over the course of my career and the last 12 months have helped me to develop as a person. Hopefully, I can get a really good balance after the experience I’ve had this year juggling everything.

MB: As for the future. How long do you want to keep playing for? Will your longevity push you into ‘Boomer’ Harvey territory?

NJ: Well, after this year I’ve got four years to run on my contract. I had a joke with Simon Goodwin, who is obviously taking over from Roosy, so he’ll be here for those remaining years. I said that I’m happy play for another three or four years after this one and he just joked that we’re a long way off discussing that one. We’ll discuss it when we get closer. If my body holds up and I don’t have any career threatening or season-ending injuries, the only real issue these days is losing speed. As soon as a player starts to slow down, I think that’s the time to stop. I’m driven to play finals so however long that takes – I’m willing to stay around. I love the place and I’m hoping we get there sooner rather than later.

MB: Jonesy, you’re a star. Thanks for your time and all the best on your 200^th. You’ve been an outstanding player and person for the Melbourne Football Club. Best wishes for Sunday.

NJ: Thanks Matt.