Nathan Jones excited to play alongside Jordan Lewis at Melbourne in 2017 AFL season

MELBOURNE skipper Nathan Jones has admitted he can’t wait to play alongside Jordan Lewis and credited the club’s development for its ability to attract him.

Jordan Lewis has signed a three-year deal with the Melbourne Football Club. Picture: Michael Klein

MELBOURNE skipper Nathan Jones has admitted he can’t wait to play alongside Jordan Lewis and credited the club’s development for its ability to attract such a high-profile player.

Lewis was officially traded from Hawthorn to the Demons on Tuesday, citing the club’s northward direction and exciting young talent as major magnetisms behind his move.

Jones revealed he was consulted by coach Simon Goodwin and football manager Josh Mahoney last week about the prospect of Lewis joining the club.

Jones described Lewis as a “ruthless competitor” and said he couldn’t wait to run out alongside him in 2017.

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“I don’t think the club foresaw anything like this eventuating throughout the trade period. But when an opportunity like that jumps up with Jordan being of the calibre that is, the club jumped at that and thankfully Jordan was receptive to it and chose us.

“It’s a real feather in the club’s cap to show how far we’ve come and thankfully the deal got done today. It’s bloody exciting for us.”

Despite just landing at the Demons, Jones said Lewis was a strong candidate to immediately join the club’s leadership group.

“I only know of him briefly, he seems like a really ripping fella. We had a few run-ins on the field, he’s obviously very competitive,” Jones said.

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“I think he’s going to bring a lot of experience in leadership, some real wisdom and obviously be able to share some of his knowledge through his experiences at the Hawks. Whether that’s in the leadership group or not, I think he’s going to provide to terrific leadership.

“Having been a vice-captain at the Hawks, you’d think he’d be right up there with some of the best leaders at the club.”

“We’re not expecting him to come in and be a real star player for us. We want him to play at a really high level, but his leadership, his experience, his ability to foresee things on the field before they actually happen and provide direction and leadership for us is going to be just as important as him performing.”

Originally published as Nathan Jones excited to play alongside Jordan Lewis at Melbourne in 2017 AFL season