BY HIS own admission, Nick Blakey "didn't have a defensive bone in his body" in the early stages of his career. But come Saturday night, the Sydney-bred Swan will register game No.100 in the red and white, as one of the premier defenders in the competition.

The last two seasons have seen the man they call 'Lizard' accelerate his game as rapidly as he dashes out of defensive 50.

That mop of hair bouncing, the SCG crowd roaring. There is little that gets the Swans faithful as buoyant, these days.

He is the epitome of an AFL cult hero, and that sits as comfortably with Blakey as the mullet on his slender shoulders.

"There's no other way to go about it apart from embrace it really. There's no getting rid of it now, it's been around for too long," Blakey said.

"Everyone calls me 'Lizard' now or 'Liz' and it's almost weird if someone calls me something else. I quite like it, it's just normal now."

But the cult hero status at Swans, extends beyond Blakey's unique nickname and daring game style.

He is one of them: a Sydney product, bred through the pathway program at the club his dad coached at, until being nabbed at pick No.10 in the 2018 draft.

The 100-game milestone, therefore, hits a little different.

"Growing up in Sydney, and loving this club since I was a young fellow, and to now be playing for them. I know when I first got to the club, you look at the boys that played the 100 games and you think, 'geez, how experienced are they?'," he said.

"And now I sort of fall into that category. So yeah, it's a strange feeling. It's obviously something I'm pretty proud of and my family's proud of. I didn't think that I'd get to 100 games, especially as fast as I have."

The landmark has arrived swiftly.

When you play 21 games in your first season on an AFL list, that's bound to happen. Durability helps too. Blakey has missed just six games since debuting in 2019.

But just where he fitted best in the Swans system was somewhat of a mystery in the early stages of his career. He kicked 19 goals as a forward in his first season and had spells on the wing.

It's at half-back though, where the Lizard has been lapping it up.

In the absence of Paddy McCartin for nearly the entirety of this season and co-captain Dane Rampe and Tom McCartin with injury spells, Blakey has become the key to the Swans' backline in 2023.

He is 16th in the competition for intercept possessions and has been mentioned in All-Australian dispatches.

"It's no doubt been my best position and it's where I'm most comfortable," Blakey said.

"I didn't have a defensive bone in my body and that was probably the downfall of me as a player, early days. But transitioning down back, you've got nowhere to hide out there," Blakey said.

"A lot of what gets said is about my run and dash, but what I really pride myself on and what the coaches really want me to do is defend well, and usually the other stuff comes off the back of that."

When that dash does emerge though, there are few things that energise the SCG crowd more.

"I do try and keep it pretty simple and sometimes I get a bit carried away. But yeah, it's good fun going for those runs and hearing the crowd get up and about," he said.

And having signed a marathon seven-year extension to stay in Sydney earlier on this season, it a sight the Swans fans will see a lot more of.

"I was really keen on doing a long-term deal, and as everyone knows, I've grown up around this club and that's all I've sort of ever known," he said.

"To be playing here for another eight years and hopefully be a one-club player, I'll obviously be pretty old when I do finish that contract, it's something I've always wanted to do."

Of immediate concern, however, is the matter of the Crows at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

Matthew Nicks' side is back in form and eyeing off a top eight place but the Swans have won five on the bounce and there is a similar vibe about the place to last season, where nine wins in a row were acquired en route to the Grand Final.

"We made it hard for ourselves, there's no doubt about that. But we've obviously won five in a row now and we've got a massive game this week in Adelaide," Blakey said.

"They're obviously in red-hot form and just about the best pressure team in the comp.

"If you look too far ahead of that, we'll get a whack straight between the eyes. So hopefully we can get it done this week."