Seven hundred and sixty-one days. That was the time it took Sam Day to move from 98 games to 99.

The journey from 99 to 100 has been much smoother, taking all of seven days.

Day is now into his eighth season of football and is keen to finally reach the coveted milestone this Saturday when Gold Coast take on the Blues.

“To have got to 100 games was probably a dream of mine once I got drafted,” Day told goldcoastfc.com.au.

“I’m excited to put on the jumper again for the SUNS and play my hundredth game.”

When he suffered the horrific hip injury in the 2017 pre-season, it stalled a career that was beginning to show why the SUNS used pick three in the 2010 draft on the talented South Australian.

Throughout his time on the sidelines, Day tried to stay positive but admits there were doubts on some occasions.

“Initially it probably wasn’t in my mind that I’d miss out on that, more so the injury was in the front of my mind.

“Then as the rehab went on I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get back to playing at AFL standard.”

That he was able to come back and play again is something that Day credits to the support he had around him.

From rehab right through to when he ran out for the AFLX tournament and JLT Series, and then finally round one, Day has never felt isolated.

“I am thankful that I had a great team around me, and support mentally and physically.

“They’ve got me back to where I am today, so I can’t thank them enough for being able to pull the jersey on again.”

With 100 games in SUNS colours to his name, Day will join captains Tom Lynch and Steven May, as well as veterans Michael Rischitelli and Jarrod Harbrow as current Gold Coast players to have reached the milestone.

He looks forward to adding to that tally alongside them and striving for success under Senior Coach Stuart Dew.

“I’ve been with them since the inception of the club, so to come in and get drafted and be playing alongside them all the way through my journey, is exciting for me.

“I feel like I’m a pretty loyal person and I’ve built great relationships with a lot of the guys that are still here from the start, so we are just looking forward to hopefully building something again this year and striving towards success.”