What does Jake Lloyd have in common with Portia de Rossi, partner of US talk show host Ellen DeGeneris, Australian international basketball star Mitch Creek and AFL goal-kicking legend Doug Wade?

Question too hard? What if we add Adam Goodes to the mix? And fellow former AFL stars Craig Sholl, Seb Ross, Shane Heard, Adrian Hickmott and Jarrod Berry.

All are products of Horsham, a town of about 20,000 in western Victoria.

And while Goodes is entrenched as the town’s No.1 sporting citizen, and Wade’s 1057 goals, fifth all-time in the AFL, gives him a reasonable call on No.2 status, Lloyd is putting together a strong claim for the other spot on the dais.

As the Swans open the AFL season against Hawthorn at the SCG on Friday night, the now 31-year-old will add another ‘line’ to his nomination with his 250^th AFL game.

He’ll be the 13^th Swans player among 1453 players all-time, and just the 16^th rookie in AFL history.

And, going into his 12^th AFL season, he’ll reach this major milestone having missed just six games since his debut in Round 5, 2014.

He was dropped twice in 2015, and four times has missed one game – in 2017 with a hip injury, in 2021 with a calf, in 2022 due to Covid, and in 2023 with concussion.

Having won four consecutive senior flags with the Horsham Demons – the first as a 16-year-old – he later joined the then North Ballarat Rebels (now Greater Western Victoria Rebels) and was drafted by the Swans with pick #16 in the rookie draft in December 2012.

 The 2013 AFL Guide said of Lloyd : “With the Swans keen to bolster their midfield running stocks they opted to take Lloyd with their first pick in the rookie draft …  has excellent endurance and a high work-rate and the Swans are excited about his potential”.

History says it was one of the great selections, alongside pick #37 in the same 2012 rookie draft – Lloyd’s long-time teammate, Dane Rampe.

And after a standout season in the Swans Reserves in 2013, when he won a NEAFL premiership and was the NEAFL team of the year, the 2014 AFL Guide said: “ … provided drive out of defence and a strong kicking game. Used in a variety of roles he capped his year by being one of his side’s best in the Eastern Conference Grand Final”.

Elevated to the senior list in 2014, thereby becoming eligible for AFL selection, Lloyd debuted in Round 5 against Fremantle at the SCG, 24 hours before now Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli, who was pick #4 in the 2013 National Draft and has played 240 games.

Thirteen years on, Rampe and Lloyd sit second and equal third on the Class of 2012 games list. Port Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines, drafted at pick #7, has played 253 games to lead Rampe (251), Lloyd (249) and Western Bulldogs pick #6 Jack Macrae (249), who has moved to St Kilda this year.

The Swans pair rank third and seventh for possessions from the Class of 2013, and, with four grand final appearances each, head the finals appearances. Rampe has played 24 finals and Lloyd 20.

Lloyd has finished top 10 in the Bob Skilton Medal nine years in a row since 2016: 7^th, 2^nd, 1^st, 7^th, 1^st, 2^nd, 8^th, 7^th, 9^th. He earned a spot in the All-Australian squad in 2018, when he was the fastest Sydney player and the equal third-fastest in AFL history to 100 games.

In 2020 he represented Victoria in the State of Origin Bushfire Appeal game before becoming the fastest Swan to 150 and 200 games. And now the club’s fastest 250-gamer.

It’s all part of the Swans’ five-star record in the AFL rookie draft, which was introduced in 1997.

It’d didn’t come immediately – the club took six players in a draft of 90 rookies for zero AFL games. They took Numurkah’s Mark Brown (#10), Southport’s Brad McMahon (#27), Ganmain Grong Grong-Matong’s Jason McPherson (#42), Tassie Mariners’ Cameron Blight (#70), Wagga/Swans Reserves’ James Byrne (#74) and NSW/ACT Rams’ Mark Livy (#90).

Byrne later played 24 games with Adelaide in 2000-01.

Among 46 ex-rookies who have played 200 AFL games Sydney have most at seven – Heath Grundy and Kieren Jack (256 games), Rampe, Lloyd, Brett Kirk (241), Nick Smith (211) and Harry Cunningham (208). Plus, they have a slice of Martin Mattner and Darren Jolly, and will soon welcome Tom Papley to this group.

Lloyd, fourth behind Matthew Boyd (W/Bulldogs), Rory Laird (Adelaide) and Matt Priddis (West Coast) on the rookie possession list all-time, will be the 16^th rookie to play 250 games.

Ex-Melbourne captain James McDonald was the first in 2010 and was followed in 2012 by St Kilda’s Stephen Milne and West Coast’s Dean Cox, whose 290 AFL games ranks third all-time among rookies.

Bulldogs’ Matthew Boyd and North’s Michael Firrito followed in 2015, ahead of Port/Fremantle forward Danyle Pearce and Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands in 2017, Grundy and Bulldogs’ defender Dale Morris in 2018, Jack in 2019, Bulldogs/Gold Coast defender Jarrod Harbrow in 2020, Hawthorn’s Luke Breust and Carlton/Geelong Irishman Zac Tuohy in 2022, and Rampe and Geelong’s Mark Blicavs in 2024.

Breust (300 games) heads the all-rookie games list from Boyd (292), Cox (290), Tuohy (288), Milne and Firrito (275), Sandilands (271), Blicavs (270), McDonald (264), Harbrow (262), Pearce (258), Grundy and Jack (256), Morris (253), Rampe (251), and Lloyd and Collingwood’s Jack Crisp (249).

Having worn jumper #44 throughout his career, Lloyd ranks seventh for games in #44 behind Corey Enright and Justin Madden (332), Richard Osborne (283), Nigel Lappin (279), Stephen Milne (275) and John Platten (258).