NEVILLE Jetta’s talents extend far beyond the footy field.
The 30-year-old has played 153 games for the Demons since 2009, but it’s his craft with the paintbrush in hand which may come as a surprise to many.
The Melbourne Football Club approached Jetta with the opportunity to design its 2020 Indigenous guernsey, and he was more than up for the challenge.
“Art has been a big part of my family,” he told Melbourne Media.
“Growing up, I used to be able to walk home from school and walk into my family’s house and see people painting – painting their story and stories that have been passed down to them.”
Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which will be celebrated next week, provides a platform for education, allowing Australian’s to learn about the history of the land they are from.
Indigenous language map of Australia
Jetta was able to transfer his story into a spectacular looking jumper – one which Melbourne will wear when it takes on the Western Bulldogs in Round 13.
“It’s always a bit of a tough process to get the ideas and the artwork out of my mind and onto a footy jumper,” he said.
“A few conversations had with my parents and some of the elders back home definitely helped with what I wanted to put on the jumper – what I wanted it to represent.
“I think the biggest thing is I wanted the story to be right.”
Purchase Melbourne's 2020 Indigenous guernsey
Watch below as Jetta explains exactly what this guernsey means to him.
