Reaching 350 games is not a common occurrence in the AFL, in fact, it has only been achieved by 26 players across the game's long and storied history.
The likelihood of a player hitting the milestone on the same night as the celebration for another club champion? Well, the odds decrease to almost zero.
But that is exactly what happened in Round 5 of the 2020 season, as Gary Ablett Junior brought up his 350th game on the same day that Joel Selwood made his 300th AFL appearance, a milestone match for two champions of the Club.
Taking place during the COVID-affected 2020 season, even the absence of a crowd at GMHBA Stadium could not dampen the occasion as the Cats looked to celebrate the duo in style, taking on the Gold Coast Suns.
Ablett was announced as one of the newest inductees to the Australian Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, while he will also be elevated to Legend Status in the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame in July, on the same night that Selwood and Mark 'Bomber' Thompson are inducted on July 4.
But on this particular afternoon at GMHBA Stadium, it was a different kind of celebration as the Cats looked to acknowledge their champions in the best way possible, but it was never going to be easy against a rising Suns outfit.
The Cats had not enjoyed an overly smooth start to the 2020 campaign, falling to a red-hot GWS side in Round 1 before the competition was put on ice for nearly three months, in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
When football returned, Geelong recorded a big win over Hawthorn but then fell to Carlton at home, before scraping past Melbourne in Round 4 to hold an even 2-2 record after four games.
Gold Coast were perhaps the hottest team in the competition after the restart, winning three consecutive games and ascending to second spot on the ladder, before heading down to Kardinia Park and setting up a blockbuster clash in Round 5.
It was the visitors who struck first on the road, Lachie Weller giving the Suns a dream start with a finish on the run inside the opening minute of the match.
Geelong's response was swift and precise, Brandan Parfitt getting the ball rolling with a brilliant rundown tackle and set-shot finish to get the Cats on the board.
Gryan Miers followed suit moments later on his left foot and Tom Hawkins chipped in with back-to-back goals, all of a sudden the Cats had four goals in less than nine minutes and took a comfortable 20-point lead into quarter time.
It was looking like the experienced Geelong outfit might be on their way to a cruisy afternoon at the Cattery, but after an address from the coach and a chance to re-establish their strategy at the first break, Gold Coast came out firing to start the second term.
In nearly identical fashion to the first quarter, it was Lachie Weller who struck the first blow with a finish from the 50 metre arc, outdoing his goal 55 seconds into the first term by taking just 46 seconds to hit the scoreboard in the second.
But on this occasion, unlike the first, it would prove to be a significant momentum shift for the Suns with Ben King providing plenty of headaches for Geelong's defence, the big forward kicking three consecutive goals for the visitors.
Down the other end, Tom Hawkins continued his hot form with a third major after a showing of strength in a forward stoppage, but it would prove to be the lone goal for the home side in the second term.
They did not relinquish the lead, but Geelong's buffer was trimmed to just four points by half time and in the blink of an eye, a day of celebration had become an arm-wrestle for ascendancy.
If the end to the second quarter ignited some nerves throughout the playing group, the start to the third term would have only amplified that feeling as once again, the Suns struck a blow inside the opening minute of the quarter.
Sam Day nailed a set-shot finish and then minutes later he was found again after a nice bit of play from Jack Bowes in different colours, with Day nailing a second goal and giving the Suns a nine-point lead before Geelong registered their first score of the second half.
Time and time again, the Cats have made a habit of bouncing back when things seemed to be going against them and while some things around GMHBA Stadium might have looked different, that same never-say-die Geelong attitude could not have been more similar.
Parfitt drilled his second goal, Luke Dahlhaus snatched the lead back for the Cats, Gary Rohan extended the advantage and Sam Menegola sealed a brilliant patch of play with a fourth unanswered goal.
The Suns would find a goal late in the third term through Alex Sexton but remarkably, that would prove to be their final score of the afternoon as Geelong slammed the door shut with an emphatic finish to the game.
Patrick Dangerfield and Jack Steven opened the final quarter with two goals, before Ablett sealed the deal in his 350th game with a set-shot finish from well beyond 50, Geelong clinching a 37-point victory by kicking eight of the last nine goals.
Ablett (14 disposals, one goal) and Selwood (22 disposals, eight tackles) both shone in their milestone matches, while Tom Hawkins (17 disposals, three goals) was ultimately awarded the three Brownlow votes.
Not to be overshadowed, Jack Henry also celebrated his 50th career game against the Suns, offering an early glimpse of what was still to come.
2020 Round 5 – Geelong v Gold Coast
GEELONG CATS 4.3 5.6 10.7 13.11 (89)
GOLD COAST 1.1 5.2 8.4 8.4 (52)
GOALS: Hawkins 3, Parfitt 2, Ablett, Dahlhaus, Dangerfield, Menegola, Miers, Ratugolea, Rohan, Steven 1
DISPOSALS: Duncan 25, Menegola 23, Selwood 22, Dangerfield, Tuohy 20, Dahlhaus 18
BROWNLOW VOTES: Tom Hawkins (3), Hugh Greenwood (2), Patrick Dangerfield (1)
GEELONG STARTING 22
2. Zach Tuohy
3. Brandan Parfitt
4. Gary Ablett
7. Harry Taylor
8. Jake Kolodjashnij
9. Jack Steven
14. Joel Selwood
17. Esava Ratugolea
19. Quinton Narkle
22. Mitch Duncan
23. Gary Rohan
24. Jed Bews
26. Tom Hawkins
27. Sam Menegola
28. Darcy Fort
29. Cameron Guthrie
32. Gryan Miers
35. Patrick Dangerfield
38. Jack Henry
40. Luke Dahlhaus
42. Mark O'Connor
46. Mark Blicavs
