Adelaide SANFL player Chris Hall is set to finally notch a special milestone in the SANFL Showdown against Port Adelaide.
Hall, 32, will play his 200th SANFL game at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
It is a milestone that Hall says has taken a while to reach, after contending with injuries over the past two seasons.
“It feels like I’ve been on 199 for about eight weeks, so it’s exciting to get there,” Hall told AFC Media.
“It’s something that’s really special.
“I think I’ll probably appreciate it more in 10 or 15 years once I’ve retired and I can look back.”
But with the Crows sitting second on the SANFL ladder, it’s a Premiership that Hall really has his eye on.
“Playing 200 games is fantastic, I’m really happy I get to play it, but the one thing I want more than anything is to win another Premiership,” Hall said.
“It’s really exciting what we’ve got this year and there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t go all the way.”
Hall began his footy career with the Eagles as a junior before progressing his way through the ranks and making his League debut in 2011.
He was selected by Fremantle at the 2008 AFL Draft and spent two seasons on the Dockers’ list before returning to play with the Eagles in the SANFL in 2011.
“We won the (SANFL) Premiership in 2011, my first year back from being in Perth, and to be honest I probably looked at it and thought ‘Premierships are easy to win’,” Hall said.
“Little did I know the next 10 years would be a lot more heartbreak.
“But (the Premiership) is probably the highlight of my time at the Eagles and the friendships I made having been there for quite a while - with not only the players, but also the coaches and support staff.”
Hall’s friendship with former Eagles coach and current Adelaide SANFL Senior Coach Michael Godden led to him signing with Adelaide at the start of last season.
But injuries halted him for much of the year and he only managed seven games but Hall said he had enjoyed his time with the Crows so far, especially this season.
“The program that (Jarrod) Meersy and Goddsy have got running is a really elite program and you can obviously see that with us sitting second on the ladder,” Hall said.
“It probably starts a lot with the AFL boys, too, who are playing in the SANFL.
“They’ve really bought into the SANFL and obviously they want to be playing at the highest level, but when they do come in, they realise that because us development guys are so keen to win and commit ourselves, they do the same thing.
“It’s so exciting to be part of.”
The Crows take on Port Adelaide in their final SANFL minor round at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, with the first bounce at 3.20pm.
