Cameron Smith's record 356th NRL game will be one his Melbourne teammates will tell their grandkids about, Cooper Cronk says.
But Cronk, Smith and Billy Slater together have also set a rugby league benchmark that will take some beating.
The Storm veterans are the most dominant trio the game has seen.
Of all the players to have played as many NRL games as Melbourne's "Big Three" - with Slater just four games shy of joining Cronk and Smith in the 300-game club - they are the only ones to have a winning percentage at 70 per cent and above.
Smith, who in Saturday's qualifying final against Parramatta will surpass Brisbane great Darren Lockyer as the game's most capped player, leads the charge at 70.7 per cent, winning 251 of his 355 matches.
He narrowly pips Slater with a 70.6 strike rate from 296 games while Cronk has had 226 wins from 320 games to also sit at 70.6 per cent.
Lockyer, who retired in 2011, is next best with a winning percentage 66.8, followed by ex-Storm forward Ryan Hoffman, Brad Fittler and Jamie Lyon.
For all that success, the three can claim only one NRL title - in 2012, when they beat Canterbury - with two others in 2007 and 2009 stripped as part of the club's salary cap penalties.
Lockyer won three (98, 00, 06) as did a number of other Broncos.
This finals series is their last chance to add to that tally as the Big Three, with Cronk shifting to Sydney and Slater contemplating retirement.
Cronk said that with possibly three games to go, it was too early to get emotional about the end of the era.
"I've been trying to keep the emotion down because we've still got a couple of games to play," Cronk said.
"I don't want my emotions to be up and down because then your performances reflect that so I'm going to try to be cold-hearted about it and when the final curtain comes down that's when I will probably fall in a heap."
Cronk wants the attention to be on the team's finals performance and then acknowledging the incredible feat of Smith's milestone.
"You're playing in a time in history - someone breaking an all-time record and this one's significant in the game of rugby league," Cronk said.
"He will enjoy the festivities and the build-up but knowing Cameron the focus will be on our performance and then we'll celebrate the 356."
WINNING PERCENTAGES
Cameron Smith 355 games 251 wins 102 losses 2 draws - 70.7 per cent
Billy Slater 296 games 209 wins 85 losses 2 draws - 70.6 per cent
Cooper Cronk 320 games 226 wins 92 losses 2 draws - 70.6 per cent
Darren Lockyer 355 games 237 wins 111 losses 7 draws - 66.8 per cent
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