Merrivale stalwart Denny Carter to play 400th club match against Dennington on Saturday

It's not just the "addictive" six premierships he has won - two at senior level and four in the reserves - which define the 46-year-old's journey as a staunchly proud Tiger.

Ultimately, it's the beloved clubman's pure and unashamed love for his club and community which will be his legacy, alongside his fierce but fair nature on the field, when he does eventually hang up the boots for good.

The Saputo shift worker will play his 400th match for the club on Saturday against Dennington in the Warrnambool and District league reserves, on a journey which started as a fresh-faced teenager in 1995.

It's come through a mixture of around 180 senior matches and more than 200 reserves games, mostly played in the past decade as work demands increased.

"It's been a bit of a crawl to be honest that last 50 or so games with COVID and stuff like that," he told The Standard ahead of his upcoming milestone.

"I had 10 weeks out last year with a rib and managed to get back. As I've got closer to the 400 I've kept a bit of an eye on it but these last 50 to get here have certainly been a bit of a grind."

Loyalty and respect has always been at the cornerstone of what drives him on and off the field.

Aside from one season down playing at East Warrnambool in 2007 where he featured 17 times in the seniors, Carter has spent his whole football life at the club, filling roles as required on-field and continuously striving for self-improvement.

"I went to East Warrnambool for just a year (and that) was because a good friend of mine, Matthew Grundy, who I played with at Merrivale passed away in 2001 on the football field," he said.

"Matthew played at East Warrnambool and we convinced him to come and play for Merrivale. After his passing I felt like I needed to play at East Warrnambool just for one year and I wore his jumper number eight. I also got an opportunity to be assistant coach as well.

"But it's been Merrivale pretty much the whole time and I've absolutely loved my time to be honest, it's been a lot of fun with a lot of great people.

"I got down there in '95, as one of my mates got me down there and I played two seasons in the under 18s and it all kind of started from there."

He played in senior premierships in 2003 and 2006 and reserves flags in 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2016 and said those were the most treasured memories on the field, alongside watching his family not only play at the club but grow up there and forge lifelong friendships along the way.

It's been a home away from home and a constant throughout his entire adult life.

"A few premierships along the way keeps you going I suppose, they're all pretty special and they drive you to keep turning up," he said.

"They're actually addictive to win in many ways. Once you get that success you want to keep chasing it.

"We had that period in 2012 to about 2016 when we won three flags and you just want to keep chasing that feeling, it's special.

"Being physically fit has also helped me, so I feel like when I'm physically fit I am also mentally fit and seeing my kids coming through the sport, I wanted to be a good role model for them growing up so that's been massive for me.

"They're both involved in the juniors and my daughter plays netball so I've loved that and my son has been involved in a bit of boundary umpiring.

"What I love about the club is when I first got down to there one thing that stood up was everyone had a joke with each other and we didn't take each other too seriously. It makes it more enjoyable to be part of."

The Tigers stalwart will also move within eight games of becoming the club's games record-holder as he closes in on Peter 'Stacka' Davies' 407 games.

He says as long as his body holds up he will pull on the jumper with pride as long as he can.

"The body feels good, I'm not sore or anything but getting to training on those cold winter nights are getting a bit tougher," he said with a chuckle.

"You look at the couch and the heater and think 'gee it'd be nice to settle in there' but once you're down there at training with your mates and at the club it's alright. You always feel good when you get home.

"But I'm going overseas towards the end of the season so hopefully I get back in the side and I might overtake him, if not I might have to have a bit of a run around next year again."

Having seen it all across nearly three decades, Carter said the club was in a strong position to challenge for more premierships this season.

"There's a serious buzz at the club, we're absolutely flying," he said.

"The seniors haven't lost a game yet and have a lot of players still to come into that side too, and it does filter down to the rest of the club.

"When the guys come back in it'll push a few down to the ressies and lift the standards. Who knows, it might push me out of the side and I could be sitting on the sidelines but I'll keep fronting up each week."

Carter and his Merrivale teammates will play the milestone match from 12.40pm at Merrivale Recreation Reserve on Saturday with a strong expected to come out in droves and show their support.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.