MELBOURNE’SNathan Jones has won the round 17nomination for the NAB AFL Rising Star award, becoming just the third player tobe nominated for the coveted prize in back-to-back seasons.

Richmond'sDuncan Kellaway and West Coast’s Michael Braun are the only other players to matchJones’s feat. Kellaway was nominatedin 1993 and 1994 – the award’s first two years – while Braun won nominations in1997 and 1998.

Jones won theround-20 nomination last season for his 25-possession, nine-mark performanceagainst the Kangaroos.

His 25-disposal game against Port Adelaide on Sunday won hima second crack at claiming the award.

"Heaps of people, especially members of my family,asked me earlier in the year if I was [eligible for a second nomination], but Ialways said, ‘Nah’," Jones toldafl.com.au.

"I didn't think I was eligible, [after] getting thenomination last year. I wasn't totally sure.”

Jones debuted forMelbourne inround 17 last year, making such an impression in his first game that heremained part of the side for the remainder of the season – including bothfinals.

This year, he has averaged over 16 disposals a game and hasbeen a positive for the Demons in an otherwise bleak season.

Over a year has gone by since Jonesmade his debut, and in his 24 games he has gathered volumes of experience,something he thinks boosts his chances of winning this year's award.  

"I've got the nomination two or three rounds earlierthan I did last year, and I've played more games so that's definitely got tohelp me," Jones said.

A former Dandenong Stingray, Joneswas only 17 when he was drafted to Melbourne.He played the majority of his junior football with many of this year’s otherNAB AFL Rising Star nominees.

"Because I got drafted as a bottom-age player, theblokes that have been nominated this year, I played with," he said.

"A lot of them I know pretty well, especially blokes likeJoel Selwood and Scotty Pendlebury. I played against them when I was goingthrough the junior years in the TAC Cup.

"They're all bloody good players, I think, so if youget a nomination, you must be going okay."

Jones joins thefollowing nominees for the 2007 NAB AFL Rising Star: Paddy Ryder (Essendon),Cameron Wood (Brisbane Lions), Tom Hawkins (Geelong), Scott Pendlebury(Collingwood), Joel Selwood (Geelong), Ricky Petterd (Melbourne), Jess Smith(Kangaroos), Shaun Higgins (Western Bulldogs), Mitch Clark (Brisbane Lions),Bryce Gibbs (Carlton), Shannon Hurn (West Coast), Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide),Marty Clarke (Collingwood), Scott McMahon (Kangaroos), Justin Westhoff (PortAdelaide) and Sam Gilbert (St Kilda).