Is a move forward in the offing for Dees leader?

Garry Lyon has forecast a new role for Melbourne co-skipper Nathan Jones as he attempts to overcome a series of niggling injuries.

The 30-year-old has been the one consistent performer during a time of struggle in the recent past, having won consecutive three best and fairests from 2012-2014.

However, with the Dees starting to build a talented engine room, headlined by the likes of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, the former Melbourne captain expects to see Jones spend more time forward in order to preserve his body for the challenges that lie ahead.

“I would expect him to play, we talk about Petracca wanting to go into the middle, you know that Oliver can, he will go forward perhaps for longer periods in time, and maybe it will help preserve his body,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

“He could even go back as well.”

Lyon says while Jones’s is importance isn’t as large as previous years, it should not be taken as a slight, rather a sign that the list is growing and others are taking on greater responsibility to help him out.

“[He’s] less important that he once was, and that’s not having a go at him, that’s a sign the football club is developing their list and been being able to take on more responsibility,” he said.

“He was the one constant through the very lean period. He played at a really high level and has been a terrific leader since taking on that responsibility.”

SEN news breaker Sam McClure revealed Jones has had an interrupted pre-season suffering numerous setbacks with a calf injury, while in recent times he has been recovering from back spasms.

His fellow co-captain Jack Viney is also racing the clock to be fit for their season opener against Geelong, as he attempts to recover from stress fractures in his foot, and will likely miss the upcoming AFLX and early matches in the JLT Series.

To listen to Sam McClure's chat with Garry and Tim on SEN Breakfast listen in the player below: