No smooth sailing to 250 for Roughie

HAWTHORN captain Jarryd Roughead will play on for at least two more seasons – and mostly likely for longer – as he throws everything into the chase of a fifth AFL premiership.

Ahead of his 250th game against Richmond this Sunday, the 30-year-old forward says he has a far greater perspective on life – and the game he loves – since overcoming his battle with melanoma late last year. But that appreciation hasn’t blunted the four-time flag-winner’s ambitions for more success.

“I’m 30 now, I have got two years left on a deal at the moment, so we will stay at that and see what happens,” Roughead said yesterday.

“It still seems a fair bit away (another flag), (but) we will do everything right that we can here ... We are not here to keep racking up games, we are here to try and win flags, and hopefully we can win another.”

Roughead won’t reflect on individual milestones until the end of his career, saying he is just happy to be back playing football again after missing the entire 2016 season – initially with a knee injury and then with the recurrence of melanoma last May. He was officially cleared of cancer last December.