The region’s strong contingent of Melbourne Football Club supporters were given a major thrill on Saturday, with much-loved Demons legend Nathan Jones making an appearance at Deakin Reserve as part of Amaysim’s Connection Cafe initiative.
During his 302-game career, Jones forged a reputation as one of the toughest players in the AFL and was a standout performer for Melbourne for more than a decade winning three best-and-fairests and captaining the club for six seasons.
But at the weekend Jones traded his football guernsey for a barista’s apron and could be seen manning the coffee machine and handing out free doughnuts in the lead up to the round 18 Goulburn Valley League clash between Shepparton United and Seymour.
Jones said it was fantastic to be involved in the Connection Cafe initiative and be able to give back to country footy.
“I have teamed up with Amaysim, who are running this Connection Cafe, to engage with regional footy teams and communities around their options from a telco point of view,” Jones said.
“We are providing coffees and doughnuts to the crowd here today and it has been great to be able to chat to such a wide range of people.
“Sporting clubs in regional areas, particularly football clubs, are the heartbeat of these communities and have really struggled through the past two years, so whatever I can do to go and help them recover I am more than happy to do.
“I have really loved being involved in things like this since I retired.”
Part of the Connection Cafe initiative is football fans vote for which ex-AFL player they most want to connect with.
Winning the poll and placed in the van for its trips to Shepparton and Gippsland, Jones said it was a thrill to be recognised in this way.
“It is pretty cool (to be voted most popular), I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with a number of things like this,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play a game not too long ago with the Carlton Draft and now being with Amaysim, it has been heart-warming to see the engagement of local communities and what footy means to them.”
And, while Jones has no direct connection to the Goulburn Valley, he said he had a number of close friends that hailed from the region, which is traditionally a Melbourne Football Club heartland.
“It was nice to rock up here today and, obviously, I played footy with Adam Yze and then had him as a coach, so it was nice to run into his younger brother here today,” Jones said.
“And then another one is Shannon Byrnes, who is a great friend of mine that has big links to the area.
“So even though I have no direct connection here, I certainly know a lot of people from up here, and even today it has been great to see so many Melbourne fans.”