It wasn’t quite Tony Lockett’s AFL goals record-breaker, or Lance Franklin’s 1000^th goal, but there was a goal celebration at the SCG on Saturday afternoon that was pretty special. Even if most of the “party” probably didn’t fully appreciate fully the circumstances.

Swans players ran from all parts of the ground to celebrate Luke Parker’s comeback goal late in the third quarter of the 79-point win over North Melbourne.

It was a boisterous ‘welcome back’ for the former skipper, who was playing his first game in 309 days, and, unknown to many, had reached a significant career milestone.

Parker’s simple 25m conversion from straight in front after a clever pass from James Rowbottom saw him become the 26^th player to kick 200 goals for the Swans.

And, in a statistic that if it had been known would have more than justified the boisterous celebrations, Parker became just the third Sydney player and the 38^th AFL player all-time to top 200 goals and 6000 possessions.

He joins Adam Goodes and Jarrad McVeigh in this ultra-exclusive group, and, having reached this mark aged 31 years 262 days in his 284^th game, was significantly younger and quicker than the players who sit 1^st and 3^rd on the Swans all-time games list.

McVeigh joined the 6000/200 Club in his 311^th game aged 33 years 55 days, and Goodes did so in his 347^th game aged 34 years 228 days.

Greg Williams, who spent a good slice of his career in red and white, is also a member of a group which recognises the combined output of the game’s two most significant skills – to win the ball and kick goals.

Williams, a 107-game Sydney player after 34 games at Geelong and before 109 games at Carlton, reached the 6000/200 target in 223 games aged 32 years 203 days.

Williams was quickest of the 38 players all-time to this double milestone, 12 games quicker than Fitzroy champion Garry Wilson (235), 16 games quicker than Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley and 17 faster than Richmond’s Dustin Martin.

Gary Ablett Jnr was the youngest player to 6000/200, reaching this mark at 29 years 60 days – just younger than Martin, who was 29 years 85 days, and Kevin Bartlett and Patrick Dangerfield, who were both 29 years 268 days.

It was huge day for Parker in a belated start to a campaign that has been cruelled by a pre-season broken arm, an early struggle to break back into the AFL side, and a six-match suspension in the VFL.

Amazingly, having missed just 16 games between his debut in Round 8, 2011 and his 283^rd game when the Swans 2023 season ended in the elimination final, missed precisely the same number of games before his 284^th game.

And even then, having originally been listed as an AFL emergency and selected to play in the VFL in his return from his suspension, he had to rely on a late change of mind by coach John Longmire to play Sam Wicks in the VFL and instead start Parker as the substitute.

He sat on the bench until the third quarter, when Justin McInerney went down with knee problems, yet by three-quarter time he had an equal-team high four tackles.

And, having played just 39 per cent game time (47 minutes), he finished with an equal team-high six tackles to go with 13 possessions, four clearances and two goals.

Parker, co-captain from 2019-23, returned to the AFL as Callum Mills, co-captain in 2022- 23, also played his first game of the year and led the club for the first time as the nominated solo captain.

Injecting a combined 438 games worth of experience to the side as they replaced the suspended Isaac Heeney (193 games) and Wicks (64 games), the veteran pair were part of a busy day for club statisticians as the Swans posted their highest score and biggest win of the year in their 20.18 (138) to 9.5 (59) win.

Tom Papley kicked an SCG-best four goals. He’s 13^th on the club’s all-time goal-kicking list, was playing his 79^th SCG game, and in 180 games prior had booted 10 bags of four, plus a five and a six. But his ‘home’ best until Saturday was three.

Errol Gulden’s 41 possessions, one shy of his career-best, was his third 40-possession game in just his 84^th game (and his second in four weeks). It’s as many 40-possession games as Greg Williams had in 107 games for the club and leaves only three players in Swans history with more – Josh Kennedy (8), Dan Hannebery (7) and Barry Mitchell (7).

Chad Warner, with 31 possessions and two goals, had a 20 possessions and a goal (or more) for the 16^th time in 17 games this year, and posted his 50^th win in just his 77^th game.