Always prepared to do the hard work and happy to put his teammates first, there are not many players that better personify the Geelong Football Club than Brad Close.

The iconic long sleeves have become a staple of the Cats forward half, with Close set to play his 100th AFL game against Port Adelaide on Thursday night.

Drafted out of the North Gambier Football Club, the silky forward made his AFL debut in 2020, going on to cement his place in the side the following year.

02:29

Brad Close Highlights | 100 Games

Brad Close will this week celebrate his 100th game, with the dynamic and tenacious forward rarely missing a game since his debut.

Now a premiership player and an integral part of the Geelong team, Close will return back to where it all started in South Australia for his milestone game against the Power.

“It is sort of a strange milestone, it has gone pretty quick and I still pinch myself everyday that I am playing for this club,” Close said.

“To think I have run out 99 times already for the club is amazing, hopefully the 100th is a good day for myself and the team. Personally I love playing at Adelaide Oval and we have had some good results there.

“We have played there a fair bit lately, we have plenty of confidence playing at the venue and the ground suits our style.”

Close will be looking to help the Cats secure a home Preliminary Final, when they kick off the 2024 Toyota AFL Finals Series against Port Adelaide on Thursday night.  

01:59

Brad Close Interview | Qualifying Final

Brad Close spoke the Geelong Cats Media ahead of Thursday Nights Qualifying Final which will be his 100th time in The Hoops. Proudly Presented by Ford

Geelong will take some momentum into the Qualifying Final, having won four of their last five games at Adelaide Oval leading into the clash with the Power.

Port Adelaide got the better of the Cats earlier in the year, a match that Close said the team have taken plenty of learnings from heading into this week.  

“We have definitely looked at that last game against Port, there is plenty to learn from,” Close said.

“There were patches where we played some really good footy, then times where we certainly weren't great.

“I think it shows that if we can sustain that good football that we can hopefully get the job done.

“It was pretty disappointing last season, something we pride ourselves on is playing Finals each year. I feel like we are back to where we are supposed to be.”