IT HAS been a career filled with unreal highs and devastating lows but Shaun Burgoyne knows that is what having an AFL career is all about.

On the eve of his 250^th AFL match, 157 with Port Adelaide and 92 with Hawthorn, the 31 year old accepts playing football isn’t just about the success you have but also the failures you endure.

Burgoyne has won two premierships (one with the Power and one with the Hawks) and was named All Australian in 2006, so he has enjoyed probably more success than the average AFL player.

And for obvious reasons, those game stick out for him as favourite memories of his 249-game career but none more than the drought-breaking 2004 Preliminary Final win with Port Adelaide over St Kilda.

“The Grand Finals are the pinnacles of anyone’s career so they speak for themselves but I’ve been part of some unbelievable games,” he told hawthornfc.com.au

“The prelim against St Kilda in 2004 was unbelievable for so many different reasons – Fraser Gehrig kicking his 100^th goal, the crowd coming on and in a way, basically saved us the game because they had a lot of momentum.

“To come back and win that and to see the emotions on everyone’s face, it was so rewarding to get into a Grand Final for the senior players in the team like ‘Wakes’ (Daryl Wakelin), ‘Dimma’ Hardwick who’d come over from Essendon, Gavin Wanganeen and Byron Pickett.

“As a younger player I didn’t realise at the time but hearing stories now of what players were going through to get themselves there and then to win the flag the next week was unbelievable.”

But he’s also endured more pain and more hurt than the average player, too.

He has been part of two losing Grand Final teams (2007 with Port Adelaide, 2012 with Hawthorn) and three Preliminary Final losses (2002, 2003 and 2011) and not to mention battled a number of injuries that saw many in the football world questioning his longevity.

“Personally, I’ve had a lot of success in footy by obviously winning the two flags and playing in a number of finals but there has also been a lot of failure as well,” he reflected.

“In 2002 and 2003 at Port, we bombed out in the finals where we could have realistically made a Grand Final there as well and I was part of a 2007 team in a Grand Final where we got smashed by Geelong.

“Then at Hawthorn losing a Grand Final to Sydney and the prelim in 2011 to Collingwood, there are a number of times where things go the other way and you ride those highs and the lows.”

But he accepts those as being part of his incredible football story that has taken him from Port Adelaide star to one of the most loved Hawthorn players of the current day.

“That’s just the journey of everyone’s career, no one has ever been on a high for their entire career so it’s just part and parcel of the game,” he said.

“When you get the good times, you’ve got to make sure you enjoy them because you know the bad times are going to come at some stage as well.”

Reaching the 250 milestone is special for any player and Burgoyne is taking his moment to reflect on what he has achieved in the game so far.

In the inner sanctum of the Ricoh Centre, Burgoyne allows himself to admit the emotion at reaching a place he never really dared to dream of is building.

“When I first got drafted I was all about playing my first game and then once that happened I re-set the goal to 50 games and then once you get there you re-set again,” he said.

“The odds of playing 250 are very unlikely but it’s something I’m very proud of and it’s a great achievement. It’s something I’ll look back on in life after footy as well and I’ll be pretty proud and hopefully my kids can remember the day as well.

“The emotion is starting to build a bit but I’m just trying to treat it like a normal game.”

At 31 years of age and one of Hawthorn’s most experienced players, Burgoyne says he is appreciative of his time in the game now more than ever.

“As you get older you really start to appreciate every game as they happen because you’re only one injury away from never playing footy again,” he said.

“When you’re younger you don’t quite think that, you think you’re invincible but as you get older and get a few injuries and a couple of surgeries you appreciate every game and that’s what I’ve been doing in the later part of my career.”

So in his mindset now, he is enjoying being around his senior and younger Hawthorn teammates and helping them achieve the dreams he has been able to realise.

And it is one of the aspects of his football personality that he is enjoying most at the moment.

“I’m still very passionate about the game and watching my teammates play and seeing them achieve their goals and their dreams, I get a real kick out of seeing those guys set goals and achieve them,” he said.

“I feel as an older player you try to help some of the younger guys and mentor them and when they do achieve their goals, it’s something that you look back and think ‘I’ve had a positive influence on those younger guys.’

“My passion for the game is still there and that’s one of the reasons why you wake up and come to training very early and enjoy the group’s success as well.”

And that passion, the drive and the determination manifests itself in one big goal - winning a third premiership.

Burgoyne is committed to winning another flag with Hawthorn and says last year’s success has only spurred that motivation in himself and in his teammates.

“Everyone is going to come at the premiers and that’s us at the moment, everyone is going to have a crack at us every week and we need to be on,” he said.

“I see that as a great challenge, to rock up every week and know someone is hunting you down on the field because they want the success you had the year before.

“We want to replicate that as well, the guys are as hungry as ever.

“Once you’ve had the success, it makes you so much more determined because you want to have it again.”