It has been a remarkable season for Mark Blicavs so far with a number of significant milestones reached, with the Cats champion set to reach another this weekend as he breaks the record for the most AFL games played by a player off the rookie list.
This week against GWS will be Blicavs' 309th career game, eclipsing the previous record of 308 games which was held by Hawthorn's Luke Breust.
It continues the trend in an incredible year for the experienced Cat, who became the eighth Geelong player to reach 300 games in the Round 6 clash with the Western Bulldogs.
He also shared a record-breaking moment with Chris Scott, as they became the longest-serving player/coach duo in the game's history, while also receiving his AFL Life Membership at Geelong's Hall of Fame event last week.
It further adds to a brilliant resume of a player who is a premiership player, an All-Australian, a two-time Carji Greeves Medallist, while also winning a Cats Best Young Player Award and a Best Clubman Award.
Blicavs' well-documented journey with the Cats commenced at the beginning of 2012, when he was added to Geelong's rookie list while still trying to make it as a middle-distance runner.
He went on to turn his attention to a career in the AFL, making his debut in the Hoops at the beginning of the 2013 season, on Easter Monday at the MCG against Hawthorn.
It would be the beginning of a rapid rise and at the end of his third full season at the level, the premium utility claimed his first Carji Greeves Medal after a brilliant campaign.
Blicavs became widely renowned for his unique ability to play and thrive in every role, spending time as a key defender, midfielder, tagger, winger and ruck along the journey.
He then went on to claim another Carji Greeves Medal in 2018, further solidifying his standing as one of the most important players in the Geelong line-up.
But it was a career-best 2022 season that proved to be the crowning moment in his illustrious career, with Blicavs earning his first All-Australian blazer and becoming a premiership player in Geelong's triumph over Sydney.
His production has not diminished at all throughout the journey, continuing to be a vital part of the Cats team until the present day and earning high praise from Chris Scott as one of his most valuable individuals.
After playing his 250th game in Adelaide, it was a brilliant and well-deserved celebration at GMHBA Stadium when Blicavs notched his 300th game, reaching the milestone on the same night that Jake Kolodjashnij reached his 200th match.
Blicavs became only the 111th player in V/AFL history to reach the milestone, while also becoming just the second player in the competition’s history to achieve the feat after starting their career on a rookie list. He also became the 77th player to reach 300 games as a one club player.
Widely regarded as one of the most versatile players to play the game, Blicavs became just the eighth Geelong player to reach the milestone, joining an exclusive club that includes Sam Newman, Ian Nankervis, Corey Enright, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins and Mitch Duncan.
Now he is in line to break another remarkable record, as Blicavs plays his 309th AFL game this weekend and eclipses Breust for the most games by a player off the rookie list.
Cats fans can follow along on Blicavs' record-breaking afternoon this Saturday, when Geelong head to ENGIE Stadium to take on the GWS Giants in an important clash.
