PAUL Roos has praised a host of outstanding milestones set to be achieved this round, including Melbourne defender Tom McDonald, who will chalk up his 100^th AFL game against the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG on Sunday.

McDonald, who made his AFL debut against the Suns at the MCG in round 23, 2011, under then coach Todd Viney, has been a regular for the red and blue ever since and is still only 23 years old. Key forward Chris Dawes will also notch up his 50^th club game for Melbourne this round, after playing 71 with Collingwood.

Roos said McDonald’s milestone had snuck up, given his youthfulness.

“With guys coming in young now and actually playing pretty early in most teams, 100 games come around reasonably quickly, so when someone said Tommy was going to play 100 – it was a bit of a surprise,” he said.

“You tend to forgot that they play early, particularly in the lower teams, when they tend to play more games early in their career.

“It’s a good effort from Tommy – he’s starting to find some consistent footy and he’s got a big job this week on [Tom] Lynch, who is a good player. I’m looking forward to seeing him play and hopefully we can have a win for him.”

With North Melbourne great Brent Harvey set to achieve the most games played in VFL/AFL history this round, Roos, who sits 12^th on the list, said it was a phenomenal achievement.

“’Boomer’ is extraordinary. We thought it was a record that would never be broken. We all know that you can sing the praises of him as a footballer – you’ve got to be a great player to get to that number – but more importantly, you’ve got to be 100 per cent committed to your craft,” he said.

“Just reading some of the things that his coaches have said about him – and his professionalism – you have to be committed to be able to prepare for the game and post-game you have to do everything to get up for the next week.

“To play until he’s 38 – he’s still in the top three or four players in that [North Melbourne] team – and he kicked six against us and won the game. It’s an extraordinary performance and one that everyone in footy will take a moment to sit back and reflect on– and congratulate him, whether it’s clapping in front of the telly, at the game or if you’re a close mate, ringing him up or sending him a text and saying ‘well done mate’. Everyone will be really excited for him this weekend.”

Roos said he was also a massive fan of Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich, who is set to play his 350^th game this round. 

“I’ve always been a big Matthew Pavlich fan. What he’s been able to achieve in a team that’s had limited success, but then under Ross [Lyon], he’s had some good success, getting to a Grand Final. He’s won six best and fairests and he’s been All-Australian six times,” he said.

“I think he’s still having a really solid year. I know there has been some criticism of him, which I believe is ill-founded. He’s a terrific player and kicked three against us [when we beat Fremantle in Darwin], which were in difficult circumstances.

“[I’ve got] nothing but respect for Pavlich, who is a terrific player and I wish him the best as well.”

And Roos said Geelong triple premiership stars Jimmy Bartel (300 games) and Corey Enright (who will break Ian Nankervis’ games record of 325 at Geelong) were champions of the game. 

“Jimmy and Corey have been mainstays for Geelong and are still playing really good football. They’ve prepared themselves well – they must’ve to have lasted so long in footy,” he said.

“Watching Corey play as that quintessential, rebounding half-back flanker and Jimmy is a bit of a jack of all trades now.

“I’ve got great respect for those two guys – they’ve been absolute stars of the game. Good luck and congratulations to them.”

AFL milestones this round

VFL/AFL Record Games – Brent Harvey, North Melbourne. Brent Harvey is due to play his 427th game this week, breaking the all-time record established by Hawthorn’s Michael Tuck. The leading players are: Michael Tuck (Hawthorn, 426 games), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne, 426 games), Kevin Bartlett (Richmond, 403 games), Dustin Fletcher (Essendon, 400 games), Robert Harvey (St Kilda, 383 games), Simon Madden (Essendon, 378 games), Craig Bradley (Carlton, 375 games), Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans, 372 games), Bernie Quinlan (Footscray/Fitzroy, 366 games), Brad Johnson (Western Bulldogs, 364 games).

350 games – Matthew Pavlich, Fremantle. Matthew is set to become 15th player in VFL/AFL history to reach 350 games since his debut in 2000.

Club Record Games – Corey Enright, Geelong Cats. Corey is due to play his 326th game for the club this week, breaking the record of Ian Nankervis. The most games for the Geelong Cats are Ian Nankervis (325 games), Corey Enright (325 games), John Newman (300 games), Jimmy Bartel (299 games), Darren Milburn (292 games), Peter Riccardi (288 games), Matthew Scarlett (284 games), Joel Corey (276 games), Garry Hocking (274 games) and James Kelly (273 games).

300 games – Jimmy Bartel, Geelong Cats. Jimmy is set to become the 77th player in VFL/AFL history to reach 300 games and the sixth this season, following on from Nick Riewoldt, Shaun Burgoyne, Drew Petrie, Scott Thompson and Sam Mitchell. The full list of 300+ game players up to the start of this season is on page 672 of the 2016 AFL Record Season Guide.

Most Games, Rookie List Player – Matthew Boyd, Western Bulldogs. Matthew is due to play his 275th league game this week, taking him level with Stephen Milne in second spot for most games by any player who began his career on an AFL rookie list. The most games by rookie list players are - Dean Cox (290 games, 2000 Rookie Draft), Stephen Milne (275 games, 2000 Rookie Draft), Matthew Boyd (274 games, 2002 Rookie Draft), Michael Firrito (269 games, 2003 Rookie Draft), James McDonald (264 games, 1997 Rookie Draft), Aaron Sandilands (241 games, 2002 Rookie Draft), Brett Kirk (241 games, 1999 Rookie Draft), Mal Michael (238 games, 1997 Rookie Draft), Darren Jolly (237 games, 2001 Rookie Draft), Michael Doughty (231 games, 2000 Rookie Draft).

100 games – Trent McKenzie, Gold Coast Suns

100 games – Easton Wood, Western Bulldogs

100 games – Paul Stewart, Port Adelaide

100 games – Lee Spurr, Fremantle

100 games – Tom McDonald, Melbourne

50 games – Jeremy McGovern, West Coast

50 games – Marco Paparone, Brisbane Lions

50 club games – Ben McEvoy, Hawthorn

50 club games – Chris Dawes, Melbourne

450 career goals – Eddie Betts, Adelaide Crows. Eddie needs one goal to reach 450 career goals since his debut in 2005.