Hawthorn ruck Lloyd Meek will suit up for his 100th AFL match this Sunday night when his side travels to Optus Stadium to take on the West Coast Eagles.

It will be a familiar setting for the 28-year-old, who was initially drafted by Fremantle with Pick 69 in the 2017 national draft. 

The Mininera product toiled away with the Dockers’ affiliated WAFL side, Peel, for three years before finally making his AFL debut in his fourth season at the club in 2021.

After playing 15 games for Fremantle, Meek was traded to Hawthorn at the end of 2022 and made his Hawthorn debut immediately in Round 1, 2023. 

Since then, the 203cm big man has blossomed to become a key presence in Sam Mitchell’s side, notching up 84 matches in the brown and gold across four seasons. 

This includes featuring in every game this season, with healthy averages of 25.4 hitouts (ranked above average for his position), 7 hitouts to advantage, 11.8 disposals and 3.5 clearances per match. 

Meek spoke about his upcoming milestone match on SEN WA Sportsday: 

“I’m pretty proud.

“I feel like it’s moments like this where you do need to stop and smell the roses a little bit because it’s a hard game that we play and it’s a hard career we’ve chosen, and one that took me a little while to get going at the front end.

“To be able to get a bit of reward the past few years and be a regular in the team and notch up those games is definitely something I’m proud of.

“I feel like I’ll be pretty quick to just get out there and play and not think about it too much, but you do have to stop and reflect.” 

Meek will join forward Mitch Lewis in celebrating his 100th game, while fellow goalkicker Jack Gunston will suit up for his 300th match in Perth.