Gabriel Tams said the prospect of playing his 300th match with Northern Rangers this weekend prompted one over-riding emotion.
"It makes me feel old," he said.
But the father-of-two, who turned 36 on Sunday, would not change a thing about a club allegiance spanning three decades.
"It's a nice achievement and just a testament to this club. It's a great place to play.
"Our motto is 'Rangers 'til I die' and that's pretty much the reality. As soon as you play for Rangers you really don't want to go anywhere else.
"It's just a lot of fun playing with and against friends. Even those you play against, you still have a beer with after the game and that's really nice."
Born in Canada, Tams moved to Tasmania aged four, attended Launceston Christian School, Newstead College and UTas, played for Rangers from under-six in the Northern Tasmanian Junior Soccer Association and made his senior debut the first day he was eligible, aged 14.
"I was a tiny kid and just got knocked around a lot but it was fun and I enjoyed it," he said.
"There have been so many highlights. The bus trips are the best. We always love going to the end of the world - Somerset - that's always fun.
"It's always windy and raining and by the time you've finished you're ready to sing some songs on the bus back.
"My 150th game was also my good mate Marshall Pooley's 100th and our first game in the State League for about 20 years. We won 7-0 against Launnie City. That was wonderful. Marshall's a really good friend and always around the club and doing everything for it.
"My best man, Mark Ambrose, came and played for a few years and a lot of the soccer boys were at my wedding. I've made a lot of life-long friends out of the club."
The bus trips are the best. We always love going to the end of the world - Somerset - that's always fun.
- Gabriel Tams
A striker-turned-defender, Tams is Rangers' leading scorer in Northern Championship 1 this season, bagging six goals from 10 games.
The child-care manager also has daughters Bonnie, 2, and Eva, 6 months, competing for his time but he isn't talking retirement yet.
"Every year I say I'm hanging up the boots so we'll just see what next year brings," he said.
Northern Rangers wrapped up the under-16 title with a 2-1 win over Launceston United on Tuesday - the team's 18th win from 19 fixtures.
Rangers teams also sit second in the under-18s and women's Northern Championships.
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
