Mornington Peninsula star signings: Nathan Jones, Dayne Beams and other former AFL players
The Mornington Peninsula Nepean league has been boosted by a series of former AFL players signing up for the 2023 season. SIMON McEVOY reports on who is joining Nathan Jones in the competition.
Kicks will not come easily for Mornington Peninsula Nepean league midfielders this year.
Two former AFL captains this week joined the list of league players to have headed to one of country football’s leading competitions.
On Thursday, Mt Eliza announced its ex-junior and Melbourne skipper Nathan Jones had signed with the club.
Some 24 hours earlier, Pearcedale confirmed it had secured former Collingwood and Brisbane star Dayne Beams.
The star signings followed those of Paddy Ryder to Devon Meadows, Jack Lonie to Seaford, Sam Dunell to Bonbeach and Billy Hartung to Rye.
Dean Kent (Devon Meadows), Ryan Bastinac (Pearcedale), Dylan Roberton (Pines) and Shane Savage (Pines) played in the MPNFL last year and are going on.
In another lifter for the standard of the competition, former Frankston VFL captain and best and fairest Josh Newman has joined Mornington as playing coach.
It’s understood Jones will play a handful of home games for Mt Eliza in between his media commitments.
He started at the club as a seven-year-old and so knows every blade of grass at Madsen Reserve.
Supporters still talk about the day Jones kicked 8.4 to propel Mt Eliza to victory after it trailed by nine goals in a lightning premiership grand final.
He was pick No.12 in the 2005 national draft and debuted in Round 17 the following year under Neale Daniher. The Dees made the finals that year.
Jones went on to have a decorated career with Melbourne — 302 games, club captain for six years and three Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Medals (the only other Demon to do that was Jim Stynes).
Since retiring from the AFL in 2021, Jones, 35, has often said he would return “home” and play for Mt Eliza.
Beams has no such deep connection to Pearcedale.
But the 33-year-old, who played 177 AFL games, is said to be keen to play alongside his ex-Lions teammate Bastinac at the Dales.
Peter Bastinac, Ryan’s father, is Pearcedale’s senior coach.
Beams played in Collingwood’s 2010 premiership, and earned All Australian honours and the Collingwood best and fairest in 2012.
The right-footer was captain of Brisbane from 2017-18 and won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for three years on the spin from 2017.
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