Scott Winduss' spot in Daylesford's team of the century is something he will never forget. PHOTO: JEREMY BANNISTER.
FOUR senior best and fairest awards, two premierships, back-to-back Henderson Medals and a spot as starting ruck in the team of the century is a record befitting a club champion.
And Scott Winduss is no exception.
The Daylesford legend has done it all with his beloved Bulldogs, and will this Sunday reach senior game 300 with the club.
"I feel really honoured that the club has allowed me to play this long," said Winduss, a Ballarat interleague representative.
"I've grown up here, all my family is here and I went to school here. All of the guys I went to school with come up through the juniors with me.
"The best thing about it is that now I see the young ones doing the same thing. They went to school together, hang around together and now they are getting the opportunity to play senior footy, representing their home town."
Winduss began his career in the under-10s and slowly progressed through the ranks to become one of the most respected ruck opponents in the region.
He spent a successful period away with Castlemaine in 1999 and 2000, playing in a premiership, but returned to lead Daylesford to flags in 2007 and 2009.
"We had played so long in the Ballarat league and gone so close year after year, not quite getting there. We had such a great year in 2007 under Phil Davis who was a really good coach and then for us to actually go through and do the job and win it was a relief," Winduss recalled.
"In 2009, for Andrew Button to win it like he did, with almost the last kick of the day, against Hepburn with such a huge crowd. That's still the grand final everyone talks about now.
"You can go anywhere now and they will talk about the 2009 grand final."
It is these premierships that, understandably, top the highlight reel for Winduss, but closely behind is his spot in the club's team of the century.
"It's right up there with the grand finals and something I'll look back on in years to come," he said.
Accolades aside, Winduss' longevity is simply astonishing.
He has missed just three games during his career one through the birth of his first child and the other two via suspension and is still, as he puts it, "playing his part" at the age of 36.
To prove it, Winduss finished third in this year's league best and fairest count behind Hepburn star Andy McKay.
"Obviously I'm not rucking whole games out like I was in the Ballarat league when I was a young guy.
"Sam Winnard and Toby Hughes are both doing a fantastic job. They are young guys who are learning their craft and have really shown that they are growing into their bodies," Winduss said.
"It takes time. It took me until I was 23-24 to get away from being a string bean and to get some size. These guys are hopefully going to play 200-250 games down the track and it's great for the club."
And how much longer will he press on for? Only time will tell.
"When you have played with guys for 17 years and have known them since kindergarten, they'll always tell you," Winduss said.
"Progressive plans are huge.
"You can't have four or five older guys leave at once. It's about leaving in dribs and drabs, still being around the club and helping out and bringing through these younger guys.
"With these younger guys blossoming like they are, these young talls that we have got, when I do walk away it will be easier.
"They'll hopefully ruck for the next 10 years.
"You don't want to leave and leave a great gap behind you. You always want to have someone pushing in behind you."