IT’S a relationship that’s evolved over the past 20 years.

Nathan Jones and Neale Daniher have shared many moments together, both on and off the footy field.

It started at the beginning of Jones’ football journey in 2006, with Daniher the senior coach of the Dees when Jones first arrived at the club.

From then on, their relationship developed and changed, continuing right through to Daniher’s brave battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

Joining Hamish McLachlan on 'Unfiltered', Jones reflected on the special memories he cherishes with Daniher. 

“My initial recollection of him as a coach was that he was a hard ass,” Jones said.

“He was an amazing motivator with the way he spoke, but very driven by what his expectations were, and as a young player, I was super intimidated, but at the same time, there was an underlying warmth.

“My fondest memory is the exit interview at the end of [my first season]. I sat down and he basically said to me ‘you need to pull your finger out, you're fat and you're unfit, you need to lose some weight, and you better win the 3km time trial when we get back, that's what I expect from you’.

“The following year, I reckon it's the leanest and fittest I've ever been, I actually did win the time trial, I lost five kilos.

“And then in my second year, I think I finished second in the best and fairest as an 18 year old, and that was a real turning point for me, if he hadn't challenged me that way, I could’ve had a different outlook on things.”

Jones said all this through laughter, no love lost over the tough feedback throughout Daniher's time as coach.

Daniher left the Dees during Jones’ second year at the club and while they were parted ways professionally, they would reconnect years down the track when Daniher was diagnosed with MND.

It was something that Jones was familiar with, his beloved grandpa passing away from MND just a few years prior.

“My grandpa, my dad's dad, I was super close with him being his first grandson. He literally thought the sun shined out my behind,” Jones said. 

“He would not miss a thing and to be fair, I'd fill him in and ask him to be there, and he'd always be there for me.

“My grandpa had passed away from what was called ALS at the time, but then you hear about Neale many years later and that reconnected me with Neale.

“Neale’s impact on people and society, with what he stood for and the way he so publicly battled his disease, he so selflessly represented what that fight is like and there's are so many lessons in that."