East Perth games record in sight for milestone man WulffThursday, April 16, 2015 - 2:44 PM - by Chris Pike

CRAIG Wulff has already had a career that stands him as an all-time great East Perth player and as he approaches game No. 250 this Saturday, there is every chance he will finish up as the Royals' games record holder and deservedly so.

Wulff will lead the Royals out on Saturday against Peel Thunder at Medibank Stadium in his 250th match with the club that means everything to him.

Already as a fairest and best winner, captain for four years, life member and with his name on the No. 13 locker, not to mention his passion and love of the club, and dedication and loyalty to it, he is an all-time great of East Perth.

However, by reaching 250 games he becomes just the third player in the club's history to do so and now only sits behind Ted (Square) Kilmurray and Derek Chadwick on the games played list.

All going well he will pass Kilmurray's 257 games this season but would likely need to play on beyond 2015 to break the record of 269 held by Chadwick.

Wulff is humbled at the thought of holding the games record at the club and isn’t sure if he would feel that comfortable overtaking Chadwick who played his games between 1959-72.

However, if the 32-year-old is still contributing and playing good football as he continues to do early in 2015, and if the club is happy for him to continue, then playing on in 2016 is on the cards and that will mean him breaking the record.

"I honestly don’t know what that would mean and I don’t know if it's something that I need to do. I think it's great for those guys to sit where they do on that list. They were different eras and times, and I'm not sure of the challenges they would have gone through to make that milestone," Wulff said.

"It's hard to compare the ease of getting there for me with what they went through. It would be a massive honour and it looks like I couldn’t make it this year unless we play three finals and I don’t miss any games. It's something I'll talk to the club about at the end of the year if I don’t make it and see what their thoughts are, and how I might fit into the team for the year after.

"One thing it tells you is that maybe you are getting close to the end because of how hard it is to play that many games and the numbers might say that, but I definitely don’t feel like that. I still feel I'm capable of playing some really good football and while I'm still doing that, I will continue to play."

Before worrying about the record, though, Wulff will celebrate his 250th game milestone this Saturday and it's something he is deservedly proud of, and is glad that it turns out it will be held at Medibank Stadium with his family and friends able to fully appreciate it.

"I'm not actually sure what it means. Obviously it's a great honour and a great achievement, but I'm not sure what it means to me yet and it's probably something I'll think a bit more about after I've finished football," Wulff said.

"Obviously I'm proud of myself and I know my family and friends are very proud of me, and my coaches and teammates as well but to be honest I'm not sure what it really means as yet.

"It has come reasonably easy for me to get there because I am still really passionate about the club and my football, and my body has held up really well. I've broken some bones which is the only way I've missed games. It has come reasonably easy for me compared to what other guys go through, but I understand how hard it is to get to this amount of games."

Along with his dedication and passion, plus the durability of his body, perhaps the secret to Wulff's longevity to now reach 250 games since making his debut in 2002 in the middle of the Royals' golden era has been his ability to grow and play different roles.

He initially came into the team as a small defender and that's where he cemented his place by 2003 and spent his first several seasons.

However, his running ability was then fully utilised for several more seasons as he became one of the most productive and consistent wingmen in the competition.

It did appear that would be the role he would play for the rest of his career, but the retirement of his good friends such as Brent Cowell and Craig Glancy left a hole on the ball, and Wulff picked up that slack becoming a mall magnet and clearance machine largely at the feet of Paul Johnson.

The last season and-a-half, though, has seen another transformation in Wulff's career with him playing a role in the East Perth forward-line while pinch-hitting in the midfield still.

He has enjoyed all roles and is happy he has constantly been able to reinvent himself to keep himself an important cog in the East Perth line-up.

"The important part about it and part of the reason I've played on for this amount of time is because you can't pigeonhole yourself as a one position player because sooner or later someone better will come along and force you out," he said.

"It's important that you can play all positions of the ground and I've been lucky to play back and learn that, then play middle and now play forward where I'm not the full ball on, but I'm still learning each week and I'm enjoying it."

When Wulff was coming through the ranks at East Perth and even got to make his debut in 2002, he had some idols in the triple-premiership teams and none more so than Devan Perry whom he named his son after.

But along his career since, he has formed some close bonds with guys he spent the first part of his career with, and now that he is finishing his career alongside.

"Craig Glancy and Michael Swan are very close friends of mine and they are friends that I will have for the rest of my life," Wulff said.

"Then in the current team there's guys like Brendan Lee, Paul Johnson, Josh Smith, Freddie Clutterbuck and Garry Moss who are all in the middle of their careers. It's nice to have a real good mix of being close with some of the older and younger blokes."