Shaun Burgoyne is set to draw level with Andrew McLeod this weekend for the second most games played by an indigenous player.
Burgoyne has played 339 since debuting in 2002. He notched up 157 games in the black and teal for Port Adelaide, before crossing to Hawthorn at the end of 2009 and piling on a further 182 AFL outings (including the last 103 consecutive rounds).
Adelaide’s versatile midfielder McLeod managed 340 games between 1995-2010, second only to Sydney’s Adam Goodes, who carved out a career spanning 16 years and 372 games – the most of any indigenous player and the eighth most of any player in VFL/AFL history.
Burgoyne is showing no signs of showing down, with the 34-year-old averaging 20.35 disposals (the fourth best season average in his 16-year career) and 3.95 tackles a game in 2017.
Burgoyne recently indicated he is still feeling ‘positive’ about his football future, despite several others from his draft year announcing their retirement.
“I’m getting a kick, and I’m injury free,” said the Hawks’ swingman.
“I'm feeling quite positive about potentially playing on next year.”
