Sydney Swans veteran Jude Bolton will break the Sydney Swans/South Melbourne record for most finals games played when he lines up in Friday night’s qualifying final against Hawthorn at the MCG.

This week’s game will see Bolton move one match clear of dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes (23 finals), who will miss Friday’s match due to injury, and will see Bolton become the Swans’ outright leader for the most finals played at the club.

This week’s final will also elevate Bolton to within the AFL’s top 30 for most finals games played in history, and will situate him alongside the likes of Glenn Archer, Gavin Wanganeen, Robert DiPierdomenico and Rodney Eade, who also played 24 career finals.

This week, Swans midfielder Ryan O’Keefe will also take a step up on the club’s finals leader board, and will move within one match of Goodes when his plays his 22^nd career final on Friday night.

While O’Keefe was not at the club when Bolton and Goodes played their first final in 1999, the midfielder fell one more final behind when he missed the 2003 qualifying final against Port Adelaide due to injury.

Despite missing the 2003 final, O’Keefe has managed to stay in touch when it comes to goals in big matches.

The 31-year-old has kicked 23 goals in finals, which places him two goals behind Goodes who currently holds the record of 25 finals goals. With Goodes out of Friday night’s match, O’Keefe has the chance to top the list if he can get on the scoreboard this week.

O’Keefe also remains the only Sydney Swans/South Melbourne player to win a Norm Smith Medal.

Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh will also jump a rung and will move into the club’s top 10 for most finals played when he lines up for his 15^th final this Friday.

This week’s game will see McVeigh overtake former co-captains Craig Bolton and Barry Hall as well as Ben  Mathews and J. Herbie Matthews in the club’s record books and will also see the co-captain come within two finals of Lewis Roberts-Thomson, who has been hampered by injury this year.

Ted Richards will also notch up his 15^th final this week, after playing 14 finals with the Swans and one for Essendon in 2004.

By contrast, the Swans could have a number of finals debutants this week with Andrejs Everitt, Dane Rampe, Tom Mitchell, Brandon Jack, Harry Cunningham, Shane Biggs and Jed Lamb all in the mix for this week’s final.