Jake Lloyd is set to complete his third full season in a row today as he stretches his unbroken games streak to 68, as the Swans close out the 2020 season against Geelong at Metricon Stadium.
Lloyd, set to make it four complete seasons in five, will be one five Swans to have played every game in what has been a season like no other.
Luke Parker, Ollie Florent, Harry Cunningham and Tom Papley also will complete an unblemished record in a campaign that has seen the club play 17 games across five states – but with a breakdown that will never be repeated.
The season-closer will be Sydney’s third game at Metricon and their eighth in Queensland, with three games also at the Gabba and two at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns.
They have played four games at the SCG, two each at the Adelaide Oval and Perth’s Optus Stadium and, in the most astonishing break from tradition, just one game in Victoria.
It was all the way back in Round 3, but, in what will become a trivia question for the ages, at least the club can say it has had an unbeaten year in Victoria – they beat North Melbourne by 11 points at Marvel Stadium.
Lloyd, set to play his 154th game in today’s match against Geelong, hasn’t missed a game since a minor hip complaint made him a late withdrawal in Round 19, 2017 for what would have been his 87th game.
The prolific utility/defender boasts the equal fifth-longest ‘live’ streak of consecutive games in the League.
To the end of Round 17, this list was headed by Collingwood’s Jack Crisp at 138, followed by Essendon’s Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (94), Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver (85) and Geelong’s Mark Blicavs.
Equal with Lloyd with 67 games in a row heading into Round 18 was Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy.
Next best in the Swans camp is Papley, who will play his 47th game in a row tomorrow, and Parker, who will chalk up his 40th game without a miss.
This is after George Hewett took his consecutive games streak to 89 and his career tally to 99 before a back injury ended his 2020 season at Round 7.
Parker will complete his sixth full season tomorrow to move into the upper echelon in this statistic across the Swans all-time playing list.
Only eight players on the all-time list of 1434 have played more full seasons – Adam Goodes (11), Vic Belcher (8), Jude Bolton (8) Brett Kirk (8), Jared Crouch (7), Jarrad McVeigh (7), Ryan O’Keefe (7) and Michael O’Loughlin (7).
Goodes is equal second on the all-AFL list for full seasons behind only Collingwood’s Jock McHale and retiring Carlton star Kade Simpson, who posted his 12th full season in his last game on Saturday night.
Level with Goodes on 11 full seasons is Richmond’s Jack Titus and Western Bulldog Brad Johnson.
Parker’s sixth complete season puts him equal ninth on the Swans list with Heath Grundy and John Rantall.
Goodes also holds the Swans record for most consecutive games at 204 from Kirk (200), Crouch (194), Jude Bolton (145), O’Keefe (121), Josh Kennedy (118), Barry Hall (113), Daryn Cresswell (108) and Brian McGowan (103).
Cunningham will today complete his third full season, having also played every game in 2014 and 2018, while Papley and Florent each will complete their second full season.
Also, Sam Reid will play his 153rd game in guernsey #20, taking him to equal second on the all-time list. Reid will pull level with 1953-57 club champion Jim Taylor, leaving only 1942-44 club champion Jim Cleary ahead of him at 222.