Dylan Kight joins a rare club on Saturday as he becomes just the second person to play 250 first XI games for Footscray.
Just weeks after great mate Travis Dean played his 200th game, Kight steps out for his 250th game against Geelong.
There was some conjecture about when the milestone was, but they settled on the Geelong match.
“It’s crazy,” Kight said before the game. “It’s one of those things you don’t think about.
“Travis played 200 and I’m looking forward to the next game.
“It makes me feel old.”
Kight said having played so much cricket with Dean it was special to have shared their milestones together.
“We have grown up playing together through all the pathways since we were 12 years old,” he said of Dean.
“We’ve been playing together for 20 years.”
Only Dean Russ has played more games than Kight, having passed the 300 mark.
The two played a lot of cricket as well with the connection going on much longer.
“Dean coached me in under-14s,” he said. “He had been there the whole way.
“He was the one who handed me the gloves. He kept the first year and then gave them up to me.”
Kight said it was pretty cool looking back that they had played most of their cricket together.
The journey to playing at Footscray started at Melton.
He played his juniors there before playing representative cricket with the Western Spirit and then joined Footscray.
There’s one moment that stands out above the rest.
“The premiership in 2013-14 is the one that standouts,” he said. “We had our 10 year reunion recently.
“Nothing has come close to it. I’m part of the past players group and Trav and I still have that cricket connection and we catch up a couple of times a year.
“It’s amazing how many people I’ve met at Footscray and have 15 year friendships.”
Among those past teammates is his brother Jordan Kight, who played 20 odd games with his older brother.
Another brother, Braedan Kight is a premiership captain with Melton Football Club.
Kight said he knows he’s getting towards the end of his career.
He said he wanted to be part of the journey for the next crop of players coming through before hanging up the gloves.
“When I decided to play this year, I thought a little bit about these guys and they have a big playing future at Footscray.
“They are the core of the next premiership side. I’m way closer to the end than the start and I’m really confident I can contribute if I go another year and if not it’s been a good run.”
The Bulldogs will miss finals this season after an inconsistent season.
Kight said it had been disappointing but they hadn’t managed to get everyone on the park at the same time.
