Milestones. What do they mean?

Some probably hold a little more weight than others.

Scott Russell, for example, played 91 consecutive games from his debut in the opening round of the 1990 season until the end of 1993.

More recently, Jarryd Blair reached his 50th senior game just 53 games after his debut.

But for two of Blair’s teammates, the journey hasn’t been as rapid.

Ben Sinclair and Paul Seedsman each sit on 49 senior games, and are in the frame to break through for their 50th outing this weekend.

In Sinclair’s case, he has played in each of the past three senior games after a stint in the VFL.

The past two years have asked a lot of Sinclair’s mind and body – his legs in particular.

His hamstrings have limited him to just ten of a possible 44 AFL games (he has also managed 10 in the VFL during that time).

STORY: "He's got all the talent in the world."

Selected in the opening round of both seasons, Sinclair is a clear inclusion in Collingwood’s first-choice side when fit, but his legs have put a stop to his hopes of experiencing any continuity in his football.

The most productive of Sinclair’s first six years at the club was 2012, when he played 20 of a possible 25 senior games, earning a Rising Star nomination in the process.

He kicked 14 goals that year, playing predominantly as a small forward, featuring in two finals defeats at the tail end of the season.

For Seedsman, he, too, has battled injury complaints along his journey to game No. 49.

Named as an emergency during his first year on the list (2011), he was one of three Magpies to debut (alongside Jackson Paine and Peter Yagmoor) against Hawthorn in the opening round of 2012.

In the years since, he has floated in and out of the senior side, stringing several good games together but missing large chunks due to injury.


Hip troubles grounded him during the first half of 2014 and again this year when his pre-season hit a speed hump when he underwent surgery in January.

The highlight of Seedsman’s first 49 games is well known: His 31-disposal, 14-inside 50 effort against Essendon made him a deserving winner of the ANZAC Day Medal just a few short months ago.

Since then, he has bounced between the AFL and the VFL, where he has averaged 19.2 disposals and 5.3 inside 50s in six outings.

RISING STAR: Sinclair honoured in 2012.

Statistically speaking, last Saturday’s win against Richmond was Seedsman’s best performance since ANZAC Day. He collected 30 disposals, laid eight tackles and drove the ball inside 50 nine times, leaving him in the frame for a senior recall this weekend.

The journey of the pair has not been simple. Both have missed their share of football through injuries and have had to earn their first half-century.

What lies beyond their next game and in the ones that follow is uncertain, but should both notch their fiftieth this year, it is an achievement they should be proud of.