Black’s record mark may be far from end
SIMON Black will decide in the next six weeks if 2013 will be the final year of his glittering AFL career.
The Lions legend will add another honour to his stellar resume tomorrow when he plays his 319th senior match and breaks Brisbane’s games record in the clash against Fremantle at Perth’s Patersons Stadium.
Brisbane have made seven changes to the side humbled by Collingwood two weeks ago with Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff, Matthew Leuenberger, Mitch Golby, Sam Mayes, Jordan Lisle and Niall McKeever coming into the team for the trip west.
Brent Moloney will miss due to a back injury while James Polkinghorne, Marco Paparone, Billy Longer, Patrick Karnezis, Jack Crisp and Sam Michael have all been dropped.
But Black will be front and centre for Brisbane. As he has been since 1998, through three premierships, a Brownlow Medal and a Norm Smith Medal.
If 2013 is his last dance, the 34-year-old has all but given up hope of a fairytale finals finish.
But he is not bitter or disillusioned. Helping close the gap between Brisbane and the AFL’s best will be a good result from here.
Black is also determined to maintain the highest of standards for himself.
His outstanding individual display against the Magpies two weeks ago was evidence of that.
‘‘Finals footy is what we play for and that’s a long way off for us at the moment. I want to see the side improve and be more competitive against the top sides and we get a chance to do that in the next month or so,’’ he said.
‘‘That is as good as it can be for us right now given where we are on the ladder.
‘‘I’ve only played a couple of full games back into the seniors so I’m still getting my match fitness up and finding my feet again. I still want to play at a standard that is pretty high. I’m still working hard trying to get my best form back.’’
Eye on the ball: Simon Black will break the Lions’ game record with 319 when he runs out against the Dockers tomorrow.
A knee injury and three games in the reserves meant Black did not grace the top level until round 7 this year. It was a frustrating time for the East Fremantle product.
If he plays every game from now until round 23, he will sit on 330 senior games – three behind Fitzroy games record holder Kevin Murray.
But the lure of breaking the games records across both sides of the merged club will not motivate Black to play on in 2014.
That decision is six weeks away.
‘‘It would be strange passing the great Bulldog Murray’s record. He is a such a champ but I still haven’t made up my mind about next year,’’ he said. ‘‘When I came back playing I decided that I’d like to play for two months and see how I feel before I make a call.’’