Podsiadly to bring up AFL ton at age 32

Adelaide's James Podsiadly will play his 100th AFL match when the Crows clash with Collingwood at the MCG.

The Crows' James Podsiadly

Adelaide's James Podsiadly will play his 100th AFL match when the Crows clash with Collingwood. (AAP)

At an age when most AFL players are contemplating retirement, James Podsiadly is set to celebrate his first major milestone match.

Podsiadly became the poster boy for wannabe mature-age recruits around the country with a stellar debut season in 2010.

A premiership with Geelong followed in 2011, then a trade to Adelaide in 2013 added a twist in his tale of persistence.

On Sunday the 32-year-old will run out for his 100th match.

Fittingly it will be against Collingwood, one of many AFL clubs to have decided he wasn't quite up to scratch.

"I tried out for about six different clubs and every one of them had something different to say," Podsiadly said of his long path to a successful AFL career.

"One club said I wasn't quick enough, another said I wasn't fit enough, and another said I wasn't strong enough.

"It was actually quite good, because (each time) I went away and worked on that one thing.

"It probably made me the player I am."

Podsiadly spent time on both Essendon and the Magpies' rookie list, but conceded on Monday that he wasn't ready to play AFL at the time.

"I didn't know the game. I wasn't physically or mentally mature," he said.

"It took me a while. When I was about 22 or 23 I thought I could go to that next level."

Podsiadly signed a two-year contract with the Crows when he was shown the door by the Cats, meaning next season could be his last in the AFL.

But instead of thinking about the end, the forward is desperate to help the Crows climb into the top eight before September.

Collingwood are eight on the ladder, four points above Adelaide, setting the stage for an epic clash at the MCG on Sunday.

Podsiadly suggested pressure could be decisive in the game.

"We had 90-odd tackles against Collingwood last time ... we need to have our pressure up again," he said.

THE 10 OLDEST PLAYERS CURRENTLY ON AN AFL LIST:

1) Dustin Fletcher - 39 years old (392 games)

2) Brent Harvey - 36 (379)

3) Lenny Hayes - 34* (292)

4) Adam Goodes - 34 (342)

5) Heath Scotland - 33* (268)

6) Ryan O'Keefe - 33 (286)

7) Darren Glass - 33* (270)

8) Dean Cox - 32* (286)

9) Corey Enright - 32 (281)

10)James Podsiadly - 32 (99)

NB: * players have announced retirement or are retired.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world