Massive milestones: All the 2024 goalkicking, games records facing players, coaches

There’s a prospective 400-gamer, several 350-gamers and some stunning gains to be made on the goalkicking leaderboard in 2024. See all the prospective milestones for next season.

Barring injuring, Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury will become the sixth footballer to play 400 VFL-AFL games in round 18 against Geelong.

The ageless Pendlebury won his second premiership in 2023 and is set to follow in the footsteps of Michael Tuck, Kevin Bartlett, Dustin Fletcher, Brent Harvey and Shaun Burgoyne in the 400 club.

He’d become the first Pies player to cross the milestone, having long since passed Tony Shaw’s club-high mark of 313 games.

Travis Boak, sitting on 348 games, is set to park the 350 mark in round 2 against Richmond, making him the first Power player to reach 350 AFL games.

Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins is set to hit the same milestone in round 3 against Hawthorn.

Scott Pendlebury of evades Hugh McCluggage during the 2023 AFL Grand Final on his way to a second premiership medal. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Hawkins is on track to not only become the second Geelong player to reach 350 VFL-AFL games, he is only eight games short of Joel Selwood’s club record of 355.

The big forward could potentially equal the Cats’ record in round 8 and break it at GMHBA Stadium against Port Adelaide in round 9.

We’ve run the ruler over who else will pass major milestones in 2024.

GAMES

Callan Ward (GWS Giants/Western Bulldogs). Ward has played 235 games with the Giants – as well as 60 with the Bulldogs – but could also become GWS’ first player to reach 250 games in orange, with the veteran just five games away from the 300 mark.

Richmond champion Dustin Martin (289 games) is likely to join his mates Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt in the club’s 300-club – and potentially elevate himself to No. 3 on the Tigers’ all-time list by the end of 2024.

Sydney’s Luke Parker (283), Hawthorn’s Luke Bruest (281), and West Coast’s Jack Darling (277) could all also bring up the magical 300 milestone in 2024, while West Coast’s Andrew Gaff (275) and Mitch Duncan (274) would both need to play deep into finals to bring up the mark.

A host of players could reach 250 and 250 games milestones in 2024.

Dyson Heppell (left) alongside current Bombers captain Zach Merrett. The former skipper Heppell is a chance to play his 250th game this season. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES:

214: Jack Crisp (Collingwood/Brisbane) is third on the all-time list and is only 13 away from passing second-placed Adem Yze (226). The late, great Jim Stynes holds the record with 244 consecutive games, with Crisp needing to keep his streak going into 2025 to challenge that.

Christian Petracca will be aiming to continue his consecutive games streak alive through the 2024 season. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES

133: Christian Petracca (Melbourne) needs to play 17 more games in succession to become the 16th player in VFL-AFL history to record 150 or more consecutive games.

MOST GAMES AS TEAMMATES

Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom have played in the same Collingwood team on 286 occasions. If they can play 22 games together in 2024, they will break the VFL-AFL record for most games as teammates held by former Adelaide players Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards (307)

Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury are within touching distance of the games record as teammates. Picture: Jason Edwards

GOALS

As well as potentially breaking Geelong’s games tally, Hawkins (781 goals) could also leap into 11th overall on the VFL-AFL goalkicking tally, passing Jack Riewoldt, Matthew Richardson and Bernie Quinlan, if he can kick 37 goals or more in 2023.

Meanwhile, Adelaide’s Taylor Walker (612) can cross the 650 mark and Jeremy Cameron (584) is set to cross the 600 goal barrier.

Productive years from Luke Bruest (528) and Jack Darling (510) will help them cross the 550 goal barrier while Tom Lynch (456) and Jack Gunston (452) are chances to break the 500 goal mark.

Charlie Cameron (360) and Ben Brown (353) could also break the 400 goal mark.

Tom Hawkins is on the cusp of several major milestones and records ahead of the 2024 season. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images.

COACHES

COACHING TALLIES

Alastair Clarkson (North Melbourne/Hawthorn) can leap into the top 10 of VFL-AFL games as a coach by the end of the season. He is currently on 403 games and can reach 426 games if the Kangaroos fail to make the finals. That would move him to 10th overall, still a season away from the legendary Norm Smith, who is in 9th place on 452 games.

STATISTICAL RECORDS

DISPOSALS RECORD

Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) already holds the record for the most disposals (9886) in VFL-AFL. This year he needs 114 to become the first player to reach 10,000 disposals.

HITOUTS RECORD

Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne and now Essendon) already holds the record for the most hitouts (9835) in the VFL-AFL. This year he needs 165 to become the first player to reach 10,000 hitouts.

New recruit Todd Goldstein has the chance to pick up a ridiculous milestone in 2024. Picture: Ian Currie

Patrick Dangerfield could head past a former teammate for several records this season. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

CLEARANCES AND INSIDE 50S RECORD

Joel Selwood (Geelong) holds the record for clearances in the VFL-AFL with 1844, but his former teammate Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) needs only 65 to take the record. Dangerfield also needs 62 inside 50s to break the record of 1639 set by Brent Harvey (North Melbourne).

MOST PLAYER WINS

Tom Hawkins (Geelong, 244 wins) and Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood, 233 wins) need six and 17 wins respectively to become the fifth and sixth players to record 250 or more wins in a career.

CLUB ANNIVERSARIES

Carlton is celebrating its 160th anniversary in 2024. The club was formed in July 1864.

The Swans will celebrate their 150th anniversary next season, with South Melbourne being founded on July 19, 1874.

Fremantle’s AFL team was formed on August 16, 1994, which will be 20 years next year. The Dockers played their first season in 1995.

CLUB WINS

Geelong (1397 wins) is only three wins away from becoming the fourth VFL-AFL team to reach 1400 wins. Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon have already reached that figure.

BROWNLOW MEDAL

2024 marks 100 years of the Brownlow Medal, since Geelong’s Edward ‘Carji’ Greeves won the inaugural medal in 1924.

VENUES

Marvel Stadium (1073 games) needs 27 games to reach 1100 games. The Gabba (397) needs three more games to reach 400. Adelaide Oval (233) needs 17 games to reach 250.