Ollie Florent has been a statistician’s delight recently. But as he follows one major milestone with another to join the elite of the elite at the Sydney Swans this weekend, the number-crunchers are still wondering ‘what if .. ?’

Florent was the 11^th Swans player to register 100 consecutive games as the Swans beat Hawthorn at the MCG last Sunday, and will be the club’s 73^rd player all-time to reach 150 in Sydney Derby #27 against the GWS Giants at the SCG on Saturday.

In a history that has seen 1452 Swans play a total of 2548 games over 128 years – and that’s not counting the 22 years before the formation of the VFL in 1897 – it puts the 25-year-old utility in very special company.

Yet the statisticians still go back to the week of Florent’s 21^st birthday in 2019 when the Swans hosted Geelong at the SCG in Round 19.

He was selected to play what would have been his 50^th game but was a late omission due to a hip problem minor enough that he played the following week to begin his unbroken run.

He’d played 41 games in a row to that point, which means if he’d played against the Cats his run of consecutive games would now be 142. And instead of ranking 11^th on the club’s consecutive games list he could be fifth. And closing fast on fourth.

It’s a list headed by Adam Goodes (204), Brett Kirk (200), Jared Crouch (194) and Jude Bolton (145), and includes Ryan O’Keefe (120), Josh Kennedy (118), Darren Jolly (113), Barry Hall (113), Daryn Cresswell (108) and Brian McGowan (103).

Florent won’t be remotely interested. It will be all about the now and the opportunity to build on the Swans’ 6-1 start and to 17-10 overall advantage in the derby in one of the most eagerly-awaited meetings between the two NSW clubs.

But he will be enthused by the statistic which reveals that under coach John Longmire the Swans have won 17 of 19 times when a player is celebrating his 150^th game.

Only Jake Lloyd and Tom Papley have not been carried off the ground as winners in what is considered a major milestone in AFL ranks, and cause for automatic Life Membership.

It’s part of a proud culture at the Swans which is acknowledged across the competition and has been crucial to Florent, the now 25-year-old from Melbourne’s southern suburbs.

Drafted with pick #11 in the 2016 AFL National Draft, it wasn’t until 15 that Florent decided to pursue football over a promising tennis career, in which he might have followed in the footsteps of his father, Andrew, who was a former Australian Davis Cup tennis player once ranked #13 in the world in doubles.

Among Mentone Grammar alumni which includes Shane Warne and Swans teammate Joel Amartey, Florent will be the third player among 114 first-time draftees in 2016 to reach 150 games.

That in itself is something given that even at #11 overall he was the fifth player from the Sandringham Dragons drafted after pick #1 Andrew McGrath (Essendon), #2 Tim Taranto (GWS now Richmond), #5 Will Setterfield (GWS, Carlton now Essendon) and pick #7 Jack Scrimshaw (Gold Coast now Hawthorn).

Only Brisbane pick #3 Hugh McCluggage (162 games) and Geelong pick #40 Tom Stewart (154 games) have beaten him to 150 games from the Class of 2016, which also delivered pick #21 Will Hayward and rookie pick #32 Robbie Fox to the SCG.

Florent will be the ninth-youngest Swans player to 150 games, and will reach this milestone in a derby which could see Luke Parker, the ‘king’ of the Swans 150-Game Club, play his first game of 2024.

Parker was the youngest Swans’ 150-gamer at 24 years 319 days, had the second-best win ratio at 150 games (102-1-47) behind only 1918 South Melbourne premiership captain Jim Caldwell (104-3-43), and had played most finals in his first 150 games (16).

It is an exclusive club, with only eight Swans 150-gamers having started their AFL career at a rival club – Barry Round, Rod Carter, Stuart Maxfield, Barry Hall, Craig Bolton, Ted Richards, Josh Kennedy and Lance Franklin.

The celebration for Florent’s 150^th will be the 25^th of the Swans 73 at the SCG. The other 48 have been spread across 19 different venues and cover every mainland state.

Six were at the old Swans homeground at Lake Oval – Bert Howson, Arthur Hiskins, Mark Tandy, Peter Reville, Ron Clegg and David McLeish.

Seven have been at the MCG – Hec McKay, Len Thomas, Russell Cook, Brett Kirk, Nick Smith and the only shared 150-game ‘party’ – Mark Browning and Barry Round in Round 6, 1983.

Harry Cunningham enjoyed the biggest 150^th-game win when the Swans beat Gold Coast by 87 points at Marvel Stadium in the last home-and-away game of 2021, while Jack Graham suffered the biggest loss in his 150^th when Essendon beat South by 82 points at Windy Hill in 1944.

According to available statistics, only Adam Goodes has polled in the Brownlow Medal in his 150^th – he received one vote for 21 possessions and a goal in a 54-point SCG win over Geelong in 2005.

Seven Swans have had 30 possessions in their 150^th, with Bob Skilton the first and biggest when he had 36 possessions and kicked one goal in a 69-point loss to St Kilda at Moorabbin in 1965.

Peter Bedford had 33 possessions against Collingwood at Waverley in 1975, Dan Hannebery 33 against Brisbane at the Gabba in 2016, Dane Rampe an equal career-best 32 against West Coast at the SCG in 2019, Josh Kennedy 31 against WC at the SCG in 2016, Jake Lloyd 31 against Port at Adelaide Oval in 2020, and Barry Mitchell 30 against Collingwood at Victoria Park in 1992.

Bob Pratt had easily the biggest day out in front of the big sticks in his 150^th game, kicking five goals against Geelong at Corio Oval in 1939. Next best was Peter Reville’s three goals in 1934 and Barry Hall’s three in 2008.

Parker was the only 24-year-old to play 150 games, while six players reached this mark at 25 – Tony Morwood, Michael O’Loughlin, Dan Hannebery, Mark Bayes, Adam Goodes and 1909-18 premiership player and Team of the Century member Vic Belcher, who was the club’s second 150-gamer in 1914 and the youngest until Morwood in 1985.

Florent accepted the #13 jumper from Toby Nankervis, now the Richmond captain, despite the fact that, across all numbers below 30, it has been worn in fewest games since the introduction of jumper numbers in 1912. It’s at 817. And that includes Florent’s 149 games.

Jumper #18, awaiting the debut of Jacob Konstanty, is second on the ‘least games for numbers under 30 list’ at 988.

Florent will be the second Swans player to play 150 games in jumper #13 after Rod Carter (217), and in doing so against GWS he will complete a 150-Grand Slam for the club … the Swans have now celebrated a 150^th milestone against every opposition (including Fitzroy).