IT WON'T be the first time Jack Viney's had Jamie Elliott in his sights.
Melbourne and Collingwood face off in front of a huge crowd every year on Queen's Birthday – but this latest clash will be quite different.
Viney, Elliott and new Saint Zak Jones will on Thursday night help launch the AFL Gamers Network online.
Football fans will be able to watch the trio play and interact with them and other AFL stars.
"I play games fairly regularly – it's the main thing I like to do in my downtime," Viney told AFL.com.au.
"Most footy players like to play golf or go for a surf or something like that but I've enjoyed gaming for as long as I can remember.
"To have a hobby where I'm not on my feet is something that works well with footy, so I've stuck with it, and the opportunity to get involved with the AFL Gamers Network is exciting.
"I think you'll definitely be able to see a different side of me and I'm guessing other players in a more natural environment."
Viney's gaming obsession began with Spyro on PlayStation One and continued with WWE and The Simpsons: Hit and Run – plus a friendly rivalry with his younger brother Max didn't hurt, either.
His favourite now is Destiny 2, a first-person shooter game. But is Viney any good?
"I'm terrible," he said, laughing.
"No, I'm average, but it depends on the game. I'm probably best at the role-playing games rather than the shooter games that require high skill.
"I'm just good at these games you can just sink a lot of hours into to get good at them – that's my niche game market."
Gaming is popular among Viney's Demons teammates, although Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Christian Salem and Michael Hibberd are more into sports games.
As for Elliott, Viney won't be holding back.
"I hear he's a bit of a COD (Call of Duty) fan, so I might need to jump into a bit of that and see what he's made of," Viney said.
"We're competitive human beings and whenever it involves a competition, you want to come out on top, so I won't be taking it easy."
Other players signed up for the AFL Gamers Network include Hawthorn's James Sicily, Giant Toby Greene, Port Adelaide's Connor Rozee, Lion Lachie Neale and Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom.
Greater Western Sydney pair Matt de Boer and Tommy Sheridan have also created an online FIFA tournament, The Lockdown League, where 32 AFL footballers will go head-to-head across the next five weeks, starting on Friday.
The Lockdown League will also be streaming on the AFL Gamers Network.
Viney, Elliott and Jones will play for two hours from 6pm AEST on Thursday.
Follow these social media handles to keep up-to-date on upcoming streams:
- INSTAGRAM: @AFLGamers
- TWITTER: @AFLGamers
- FACEBOOK: @AFLGamersNetwork
- YOUTUBE: youtube.com/aflgamersnetwork
