MILESTONE MOMENT: Iconic Swan set to bring up 400 games

Scott Pendlebury one week, Ivan Walker the next. Read how an icon of Mackay sport was able to reach his incredible milestone.

Eastern Swans’ Ivan Walker will celebrate game 400. Photo: Rae Wilson

Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury one week, Mackay’s Ivan Walker the next.
The local legend from the Eastern Swans will this week run out for his 400th game of Aussie Rules.

Only six players, now including Pendlbury have ever acieved the feat at the top level, but, remarkably, Walker becomes the second Swan in as many years to reach the milestone following Terry Bailey in 2023.

In doing so he will also become just the third player in the history of AFLQ Mackay to reach 400, joining Bailey and the late Chris Dunbar (North Mackay Saints) on a short but auspicious list.

“It’s been a long time coming, but I’m excited and I can’t wait for this weekend,” Walker said.

Walker’s journey with the Swans started all the way back in his junior days in 1987, with his senior football journey beginning a decade later.

“It’s just the people down there who have kept me coming back,” he said.

“And it’s football, and I just cannot go past it.”

He said the secret to achieving such longevity is simply doing all the right things when it comes to looking after his body and getting himself 100% for every game he plays.

“I just make sure the body is right, especially now that I’m getting a bit older, I just do all the right things and look after myself,” he said.

Walker said he and Bailey had built a strong connection over close to 400 games as teammates, saying he’s “one of the greats.”

“He’s a special player and just his ability around the footy and just the awareness of where he needs to be, he keeps doing it week in week out despite playing 400-plus games.”

Ivan Walker (left) flies high for a marking contest in an interleague game between AFL Mackay and Townsville back in 2003. Picture: Stewart Mclean.

Across his 35-plus year journey with the Swans, Walker has enjoyed plenty of on-field successes, winning senior premierships in 1998, 2009 and 2015, and reserves premierships in 2018 and 2020, being best on ground in both games.

Remarkably, he also won the first and only league best and fairest of his career just last year in the reserves, surely making him one of the oldest first-time winners of such an award going around.

“It’s hard to look past that first one in ‘98, that first premiership, it was very special,” he said.

“But ‘09 was just as good as well, we got flogged every time we played Whitsunday Eagles during the season but came out in the grand final and beat them.

“2015 was our undefeated season, and while it was a close grand final we got the job done.

“That best and fairest was special as well with it being my very first one, and it happening towards the end of my career.”

He has also been a versatile player across his career, starting at full back before transitioning to the midfield and then into the forward line, before dropping back and playing in the midfield in the reserves.

“I was down back for about four or five seasons, I loved it and just did what the coach wanted,” he said.

“I played on-ball for a couple years then transitioned into the forward line, before I went to the ‘ressies’ for the past six or seven seasons where I’ve played on-ball again.”

The 46-year-old said he believes at this stage this will be his last year playing for the Swans, bringing to an end a playing journey with the Swans which spans four decades.