Hard-nosed Saint Jack Newnes will celebrate his 150th career game against the Cats on Saturday.
‘Jill’ was selected with pick No. 37 in the 2011 National Draft alongside Seb Ross and Jimmy Webster, before making his debut the following year against Gold Coast as a 19-year-old.
The No. 16 made sporadic appearances in his first season, before becoming a mainstay in the following years.
Most notably, Newnes shares the club record with Ian Synman for the most consecutive games (123), which began in Round 1, 2014 and came to an end just a few weeks ago.
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Such an impressive tally is indicative of his consistency at the elite level, which he has held across his past eight seasons at St Kilda.
“It has flown and it’s gone extremely fast. I probably didn’t think I’d get here when I started but I’ve loved every minute,” Newnes told saints.com.au.
“I’m happy to play anywhere for the team, play a role – I’ve been thrown around a bit but I love that.”
Newnes started Season 2019 in form, averaging 24 disposals from his first six games and piecing together some last-minute heroics in the Saints’ clash against Hawthorn which went down to the wire.
Despite quieter outings in recent weeks, the 26-year-old places in St Kilda’s top-five for inside-50s (50), metres gained (4,678), uncontested possessions (177) and rebound-50s (36) to remain an integral cog in the Saints’ on-ball machine.
A career-high 35-disposal effort against the Western Bulldogs in 2017 along with his four-goal bag against Collingwood last season place among some of Newnes’ best performances, while in 2016 and 2017, he ticked above 500 disposals for the year.
But despite the individual achievements, Newnes attributes the best moments at the club to the wins he’s experienced with his teammates.
And although the game against the Cats will be a significant milestone for Newnes, it will be secondary in his mind as the Saints hunt for the four points.
“I’ve loved playing with my mates and I love the club, so it’s been a good ride,” Newnes said.
St Kilda will take on Geelong at GMHBA Stadium this Saturday at 7:25pm.
