It's tough to get family bragging rights at the Belconnen Magpies, especially when the two people ahead of you on the all-time games list are your brother and dad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
But while games numbers might not be James Bennett's friend, he can leap to the top of the family if he can keep a premiership dream alive this weekend.
Bennett will play his 248th game when the Magpies take on Ainslie in an AFL Canberra knockout clash at Kippax, moving him to third on the club's list of most games played.
He fears age might ruin his chances of catching the two players ahead of him - brother Lexie on 276 and dad David on 268. But beating Ainslie to book a spot in the grand final will give him a chance to do what they weren't able to: win a third premiership.
The Bennett's have combined for 791 games so far while James and Lexie played in the 2004 and 2009 grand final victories.
Bennett is humbled by the milestone and joining his family atop the Magpies all-time list but joked that he can't see himself passing either of them.
At 35 years old, Bennett admits his impressive career is starting to wind down.
"I'm probably a little bit dirty that it's my dad and brother ahead of me and I don't have much chance of catching them," Bennett said.
"I think it's a few too many for me to chase down. I might just have to settle for third place in this one."
But the milestone moment will take a back seat when premiership hopes go on the line on what looms as a massive day for Belconnen.
The club has three teams playing senior semi-finals at Kippax, with first grade, reserve grade and women's all fighting for spots in their respective grand finals.
First-grade captain-coach Bennett will renew his rivalry with Ainslie with memories of grand final defeats in 2017 and 2019 still fresh in his mind.
"They've knocked us off in a couple of big games and I think that's where rivalries are developed," Bennett said.
"But I don't think the opponent this weekend gives us any more motivation. We just really want to play well and get into a grand final so that's the biggest motivation for us."
Belconnen was second on the ladder at the end of the regular season, but lost the grand-final qualifying match against Queanbeyan last weekend.
Ainslie was third and kept their season alive by beating Eastlake on Saturday by a whopping 41-points.
Belconnen and Ainslie have played each other three times this year, with the Magpies winning the past two after being thumped 92-41 in round two by the Tricolours.
