Ricciuto gets AFL life membership
Adelaide captain Mark Ricciuto qualifies for automatic AFL life membership this week with his 300th official match - against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Su
And Ben Hart will play a club-record 279th regular-season match if he passes a fitness test on his troublesome right hamstring.
Ricciuto, who made his AFL debut in 1993 and was adjudged the best player in the Crows' first decade, will make his 265th regular-season (or premiership-season) appearance on Sunday.
He has also played 26 pre-season matches, five state-of-origin games and four international rules fixtures.
Ricciuto, 30 this June, won the 2003 Brownlow Medal (with Nathan Buckley and Adam Goodes) and was runner-up to West Coast's Chris Judd last season.
Ricciuto played in Adelaide's 1998 premiership team after injury had kept him out of the 1997 premiership team, and he has won Adelaide's club-champion award a record three times (1998, 2003 and 2004).
He has earned All-Australian selection seven times - 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 and was named All-Australian captain last year. And this is his fifth season as Adelaide's captain - another club record.
Hart's next match will enable him to pass Nigel Smart's club-record tally of 278 from 1991-2004. Both are AFL life members through reaching 300 official matches in 2003.
Hart, 31 this July, made his AFL debut in 1992. He was in the 1997-98 premiership teams, was Adelaide's club champion in 1999 and 2002, and was chosen in four All-Australian teams - 1992, 1993, 1999 and 2002.
He sat out the second half of last Sunday's win against Collingwood at Telstra Dome because of tightness in his hamstring, and he is awaiting the results of scans.
Matthew Bode also is waiting to learn what scans have revealed about the shoulder he hurt against Collingwood. He is listed as a 'test' this week, as are Matthew Clarke (back) and Robert Shirley (corked thigh).
Brett Burton, who has played 99 AFL matches, and Jacob Schuback will miss one more game with hamstring and back injuries respectively.