The corflute sponsor boards have come down. ‘Teddy’ Roberts, a bulging two-metre long equipment bag draped across his shoulders, makes another trip to the property van.

He steps through a puddle on the rubberised floor of the Metricon Stadium changerooms as he continues the process of loading a couple of tonnes of equipment, preparing to make haste for Brisbane Airport. The turn-around is tight.

Moments earlier the West Coast Eagles players had celebrated victory over Gold Coast in Andrew Gaff’s 250^th game. The remnants of a Powerade shower sit as a reminder of a boisterous rendition of the club song that has been all-too-rare in 2022.

A few minutes later, a dishevelled, slightly hunched figure, his hair wet and unkempt, shuffles across the room. Gaff wanders towards parents Paul and Susan, who have travelled to south-east Queensland for the occasion. They embrace warmly and make the most of every minute before the team bus starts the hour-plus trek to the State’s capital.

They reflect on the game; reminisce about the broader football journey as Gaff becomes one of just 11 players in Eagles history to hit the lofty 250-game milestone.

That post game scene is a visualisation of what the Gaff family – and West Coast Eagles fan base – hope will become reality tomorrow afternoon.

There is obviously no guarantees and it looms as a tough assignment against the Suns, a club that has made strong progress this season to challenge for a debut finals series.    

Like all players who have endured 10 years or more in this demanding sport, Gaff has had his challenges, but mainly his stellar career has been one where he has achieved remarkable standards and maintained them to a rare level of consistency.

When coach Adam Simpson, who will also prepare this team for the 200^th time, was this week asked what sets Gaff apart he answered without hesitation. “He’s the most consistently good player I have ever coached.”

Simpson was including the four years he spent at Hawthorn as an assistant coach before getting the senior Eagles gig in 2014.

The difference between Gaff’s best and his worst is wafer thin. It’s in keeping with his personality.

Calm, unruffled, measured. No extravagances. Considered.

One trait that those outside the inner sanctum might not pin to the indefatigable wingman is tough. But make no mistake he has grit and courage it in spades. And it manifests itself in his mental strength, born of a fierce competitive instinct. A severe dislike – no a hate – of losing.

Gaff was secured with selection four in the 2010 National Draft, the Eagles first selection. The club had ‘won’ its first wooden spoon in the preceding season, but the first three picks in the draft were assigned to competition new-comers Gold Coast. He was the gem in the pack waiting for club recruiters.

The lithe left-footer made his debut in round one of 2011 against North Melbourne and in 17 games the lightly-framed youngster was often deployed as the substitute, donning a red vest and biding his time for an opportunity.

He came with a reputation for winning plenty of ball and the numbers he racked up in seven consecutive games at South Fremantle eventually forced the match committee to recall him.  

From that moment until round nine, 2016 when he was crudely collected by Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas, missing a week with concussion, Gaff played 113 games in succession. That streak of consecutive games is a record high in the history of the club.

A run of that nature is no fluke. Nor is it achieved without a high pain tolerance.

Gaff is meticulous with his preparation; as fastidious as anyone in the Monday to Friday ritual of recovering from one game and getting ready for the next.

He has often played under physical duress, as he has done this year where a problematic ankle has been a significant impediment to the veteran maintaining the standards he has set across his glittering.

He hasn’t whinged; he’s just got on with it. That’s Gaffy’s way.