FROM kicking a soft yellow Sherrin around the grounds of Woree Primary School to leading the Gold Coast Suns on to Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.
It has literally been a long road for Jarrod Harbrow to reach the magical 100 AFL appearances.
The love for the game has taken him from the Far North Queensland schoolyard to country Victoria, where he linked with the Murray Bushrangers and eventually caught the eye of Western Bulldogs' scouts.
He had to work his way from the rookie list for a shot at the big time, debuting in 2007 before becoming an inaugural member of the Suns last year.
Quietly spoken Harbrow is quick to point out the AFL is no place for the faint-hearted.
"Once you start playing football you come out of your shell naturally. You can leave your shyness, quietness off the field," he said.
"You have to come out of your shell and try and get noticed.
"I went down there (Victoria) to further my football and get noticed as best I can.
"I played Vic Country in the under-18 (national) championships and (was) lucky enough the Bulldogs picked me up in the rookie draft."
In a show of just how far he has come, Suns assistant coach Andy Lovell this week anointed Harbrow as a future captain of the club.
But the youngster said he had a long way to go.
"I'm still learning and developing as a player and person. You'll never stop learning," he said.
"That's a bit far down the track. I'm probably not the biggest leader getting around but I like to think I get on one-on-one with the boys pretty well.
"(Playing 100 games) is a small achievement. It's more something for my family and friends back home to be proud of."
The Suns have been in the best form of their short history lately, beating Richmond in Cairns before choking against Brisbane.
It could have easily been successive wins and Harbrow said the Suns had gone back to basics this week for their clash against the Swans.
"If we can continue our form, who knows what can happen," he said.
Last Modified on 25/09/2012 10:45