JESSE Hogan says it’s an honour to be likened to Jonathan Brown, but has played down being compared to the now retired Brisbane Lions great.

Speaking at AAMI Park on Tuesday, after receiving the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for round nine, Hogan said skipper Nathan Jones had given him the Brown tag.

“It’s funny because the first time this got brought up, [it was] by Nathan Jones,” he said with a smile.

“He said he wasn’t going to put expectations on me and he came up and said ‘sorry mate, I’ve put the Jonathan Brown [comparison] on you [in an interview]’.

“It’s an honour to be compared to such a legend of the game. I personally don’t think I’m anywhere near him, but to be compared to him at a young age is something to be proud of – or however you want to take it.

“Jade Rawlings, our backline coach, is good friends with him, so he’s (Brown) flicked me a text.”

Hogan said he wasn’t expecting to win the award this week, given Melbourne lost by 61 points to Port Adelaide at Traeger Park on Saturday.

“It’s a bit of a weird one because [players] normally get them after a win – that’s what I’ve noticed. It was good to hear,” he said.

“I think I’ve [been consistent]. I’m just trying to play my role week to week and Roosy makes it pretty simple for me.

“I’ve been fairly happy with my start to the season … and hopefully I improve week by week.”

Hogan said he had plenty of improvement left in his game and had learned to deal with the weight of expectation, ever since he arrived at the club as a pre-listed recruit in the 2012 off-season.

“Roosy’s really good, he plays me down and keeps it simple,” he said.

“You can’t block out [all the expectation], but you can’t get caught up in it. That’d be the worst thing to do – look into it too much.

“I play as a key position player, so it’s our job to have a bit of a presence. I believe that I can impact a game.”

As for the reported sledge in round eight, where it was reputed that Bulldog captain Bob Murphy said to Hogan ‘you can’t miss [the goal], you’re Melbourne’s great white hope’. To which Hogan said t Murphy, after kicking a goal, ‘and there’s your great white hope’, pointing to the interchange bench, where Tom Boyd was sitting.

“It’s nine days ago, so I’m trying to let that one slide,” he said.

“Every time it goes down, it seems to arise again, with [Wayne] Carey bringing it up on last Friday.

“I’ll just leave that one on the field, I reckon. I’ll leave that where it is.”