Jonathan Brown, set to play his 200th game at the Gabba on Sunday, is very definitely in the first category.
When Browny arrived in Brisbane fresh off the family farm at Warrnambool in western Victoria he was a teenager according to his birth certificate, but a man in every other way.
That is one of two things that really strike me when I reflect on the magnificent career of the Brisbane Lions captain.
The other is that in sport I’ve always believed the harder you work, the luckier you get but also that good fortune sometimes follows you or sometimes avoids you.
In the Brown-Lions situation it has been a most fortuitous sequence of events for both parties.
That Browny was eligible to join the Lions as a father-son selection had more than its share of good fortune.
His father Brian played just 51 games for Fitzroy - one more than the required minimum at the time and 49 fewer than that which would make his No.1 son a Lion today.
And, of course, there was a fair amount of good fortune in the timing of it all. The big fella arrived at the Gabba and in just his second season filled the important centre half-forward position in the first of three consecutive premierships.
The father-son success stories are not such an unusual event. So often in the very good sides you’ll see a couple of very good father-son choices who are effectively a very big draft bonus. Like Travis Cloke and Heath Shaw at Collingwood, and Gary Ablett and Matthew Scarlett at Geelong.
Browny committed to the Lions 12 months before he was old enough to move north via the 1999 AFL Draft.
He did a lot of the off-season training with the senior group over the 1998-99 summer, and even then he trained in a manner which said he was ready to slot into the AFL straight away.
As Browny prepares to play his 200th game it struck me that his late mark and match-winning goal in his 199th game was symbolic of what has made him such a great player.
With less than a minute to go in the round-19 clash with West Coast at Subiaco last Saturday night, Daniel Merrett grabbed the footy on the wing and drove it long to the centre of the Lions' forward 50m arc.
There were probably 20 players who could have got on the end of that kick, but, surprise, surprise … it was Jonathan Brown who looked like he was the only player who really wanted the footy.
That’s where the comparison between him and Wayne Carey is valid.
So often when Carey would go for a mark it seemed like he was the only person in that part of the field who really wanted it. Browny is exactly the same.
Unfortunately, since Alastair Lynch’s retirement at the end of the 2004 season there has been an incredibly unhealthy Lions' reliance on the now 28-year-old key forward.
When he plays well the Lions will be competitive against anyone. When he is missing or has a bad one they struggle to beat anyone.
There are a multitude of attributes that make Browny such a formidable competitor. Physically, he has that rare mix of height, bulk and strength to go with enormous running power normally expected of a midfielder.
Again, that’s where the Carey comparison comes in.
Browny’s competitiveness is a great strength and a potential vulnerability.
Whenever the ball is in his vicinity he’s going to go for it. No second thoughts. No questions asked.
A lasting image of the Lions' No.16 will always be his trademark sprint back with the ball flight of the ball with no regard whatsoever for whether opponents or teammates are in a better position to mark it.
It’s made for some heavy collision near misses at times, and has required that even a lot of Lion teammates have had to have a sense of Brown awareness about them.
For a player of about 105kg, Browny’s extraordinary running capabilities, too, have been a plus in games but sometimes a problem in managing his training loads.
He’s had the ability to run his opponent off his legs, but at times his ability to run at such a level has over-stressed his body.
I specifically remember a day after the Lions had drafted Queensland U18 captain Wayde Mills in 2005. He only played 16 AFL games but was a big man who could really run.
They were doing repetition 200m runs and, in typical Brown fashion, he just wanted to win.
I wasn’t sure at the time if it was such a good thing for our No.1 key forward. While a big endurance base was a plus, he really wasn’t a 200m runner and having to find that speed to support his will-to-win was pushing him to the limit.
Moreover, it was an example of him training too hard - as he has been prone to do throughout his career.
It’s interesting to note that in the time Browny has played 199 games, the Lions have played 252. He’s missed 14 through suspension and 39 through injury.
His ability to stay out of trouble with the tribunal since the five-match ban he copped in the 2004 grand final without losing his imposing physical presence is a measure of his maturity and on-field control.
Browny sometimes reminds me of the 1980s footballer in his approach to life and football, but that does a gross injustice to his professionalism which is first class.
Yes, when he lets his hair down he doesn’t mind a few beers with his mates but he’ll only ever do it at the appropriate time and never have I seen him change personality.
He’s presented an immaculate image for the Lions and the AFL over the journey because he’s everything you want in a player, and has been a really fantastic bloke along the way.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
