NATHAN Jones had to be the man, Melbourne's season depended on it.

If the co-captain didn't stand up, who would?

On Thursday night the Demons were struggling to stay in the contest at the SCG, despite Sydney's inability to turn its dominance into scoreboard hurt for the opposition, but when Isaac Heeney marked strongly and converted 13 minutes into the second term, the home side led by 22 points.

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The Swans had kicked three in a row after finally managing to give their forwards a chance with some quality forward 50 entries, and the Demons, who could hardly find a winner on the ground, looked ready to fold.

But Jones wouldn't allow it, he'd seen it far too often through Melbourne's dark years.

The tough onballer was on the end of a smart pass from Christian Petracca and ran into an open goal to boot his first to arrest the Swans' momentum, but even then, his teammates seemed flat and uninspired.

Minutes later Jones pounced again on a loose ball inside 50 and snapped a second on his non-preferred left foot to reduce the margin to 10 points.

Perhaps it was the fact that Jones had kicked the major while younger brother Zak was on his hammer, perhaps it was just the brilliance of the goal, or perhaps it was the timing, but the Demon gave a mighty fist pump and was mobbed by his teammates.

It lifted the Dees.

Jake Melksham joined in from virtually the exact spot his skipper nailed his second goal from and the margin was now single figures.

A Lance Franklin answer momentarily steadied the Swans, but the Demons' other co-captain Jack Viney erased that with another major from, you guessed it, the same pocket from which Jones and Melksham had pierced the big sticks.

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Melbourne emerged from the half-time break still energised after looking without a pulse before Jones' cameo, and the four-goal third term, while restricting Sydney to just one, turned the match in their favour.

The Swans came again in the final quarter as the Demons knew they would, twice kicking truly to get back into the clash, but it was a third from Jones that ended the contest.

The 31-year-old summoned all his experience to snare a free kick inside 50, and nailed his set shot to put his side in front by 16 points with just over seven minutes to play.

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Once again Jones was mobbed by his fellow Dees.

It was a sealer he'll remember for some time, and it surely won't be forgotten by the rest of his team and coach Simon Goodwin.

Season 2019 is alive and the Demons might look back on the co-captain's heroics if they banish their poor start to the year and are around in September.