Keeping up with Luke Jones - a Rebel with a cause

[PeterM]

AT just 21, Luke Jones is already many things to many people in rugby.
Touted as a future Wallaby, the former schoolboy and Australian under-20s star has emerged as an integral part of Melbourne's pack.
He is viewed as one of purest athletes in Super Rugby, with Rebels coach Damien Hill suspecting Jones might have the biggest engine in the competition.
And he is seen as one of the sport's most versatile forwards, just as adept at lock as at blindside flanker with potential to eventually play at No.8.
Jones, into a third year with Melbourne, appreciates the accolades but the man known as Merlin is more interested in elevating team performance.
"There's definitely a lot more expectation from the group," Jones said.
"I think we owe it to Melbourne to step up this year and put some teams under serious pressure.
"We've been very up and down in games - (beating) Crusaders last year and then you turn around and we play the Hurricanes and get pumped by 60.
"This year is about consistency and us slowly going up, slowly chipping away at the ladder and hopefully making that top six."Plucked from Western Force and given his first run-on job for the Rebels on the 2011 South African tour, Jones made an immediate mark.
"That was a quite an amazing experience, first time getting an 80-minute game under my belt (against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein)," he said.
"It was a pretty special time in South Africa.
"Playing since then in the under-20s World Cup and coming straight into my first full season of Super Rugby, it's been an exciting time."
Jones returns to the back row tomorrow night against NSW Waratahs and is likely to cross swords with one of his closest friends, former World Cup teammate Michael Hooper, now a fully fledged Wallaby.
"I'm not sure if I would have got the same game experience in Perth but, at the same time, I've had the opportunity to play back row here, a lot at (No) 6," he said.
"Over here, they see that I'm a utility and can play a number of positions, which is what I've always prided myself on.
"Six is my preference, but whatever gets me on the paddock, I'm happy either way."

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[PeterM]

Firstly apologies if this player has been spoken about at length before but as I have said before I am still getting intimated with all things EWF up close and personal (hard to do it when you live on the other side of the world since their inception) but how on earth did we let this bloke get away?

[Tazzmania]

I do not think we let him go, at 19 I think the bright lights of Melbourne were more appealing to him than Perth.

We did well to identify him early and get him into the program, unfortunatly due to the issues we have discussed at legnth in other forums regarding Perth's proximaty to the bulk of players families and homes we had little hope of keeping him.

[GIGS20]

Firstly apologies if this player has been spoken about at length before but as I have said before I am still getting intimated with all things EWF up close and personal (hard to do it when you live on the other side of the world since their inception) but how on earth did we let this bloke get away?

He was a kid when he was over here.

And we had sharpie three years ago, which means there wasn't a spot for him. We offered him Academy, Melbourne offered him a full contract. There's only so much you can do (unless of course you're the Tahs)