James Kelly may now suit up for Essendon but Geelong's Tom Hawkins says it's special that he gets to play his 300th AFL match against his former club.
After retiring at the end of the 2015 season with three AFL premierships in his keeping, Kelly was lured out of retirement last year as a top-up player for the Bombers in the wake of the Essendon supplements scandal.
One season has now become two and the 33-year-old is now set to celebrate the milestone game in the Country Festival match between the two teams at the MCG on Saturday night.
Hawkins said Kelly still meant a lot to Geelong, who he joined in 2002 as a teenager and went on to play 273 games.
"It's very special for him and for Geelong football club that he gets to play his 300th game in the circumstances he does," Hawkins said.
"He's been a role model of our footy club and he's a super player who has a great balance between knowing when to work hard and when to have fun but he's a fierce competitor and that's what I've always loved about him."
Hawkins said he was in awe of the way Kelly was still able to play in his twilight years.
"I've found that turning 29 this year I don't recover as well as I did when I was 21 so he's got five years on me, so he's done extremely well to get to 300 games with the way he plays the game."
One of Kelly's new teammates, 21-year-old midfielder Zach Merrett, said he was fortunate to have the veteran at the club.
"I was a shadow for him last year and probably annoyed him with so many questions but to have a guy who's won three premierships come to the club and now played 300 games, he's just got so much knowledge and I wouldn't be surprised if one day he coaches an AFL club," Merrett said.
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