PATRICK Cripps is bordering on rewriting Carlton's record books.

Yet another remarkable campaign has Cripps on the verge of trying Blues great John Nicholls as the only other player to have won five best and fairest awards in the club's history, while he could also be closing on becoming the first Carlton player to win multiple Brownlow Medals while representing the club.

Still just 29 years of age and only now approaching his 200th game this weekend, Cripps has somehow managed to find another gear in 2024. His month-long stretch of form, leading into this week's milestone game, is among the best he's ever produced.

Ahead of Cripps' 200th this weekend, AFL.com.au has looked back on the best of Carlton's courageous captain. Here are the nine games that have defined the career of the dominant No.9.

Game No.6: v St Kilda (Rd 4, 2015)

Of all the places for Carlton's future skipper to have his breakout game, he chose Wellington. In a fixture that started at the otherwise nondescript time of 11am in Melbourne to account for the time difference, the club's No.13 pick from 2013 showed what he was about. Having recovered from a broken leg he sustained in a VFL match in his maiden season, Cripps finished with 33 disposals, 23 contested possessions, eight clearances, 11 tackles and a goal. He was rewarded with a Rising Star nomination, paving the way for an all-time duel with Melbourne forward Jesse Hogan across the season for the honour. His performance in New Zealand, which was just his sixth AFL game, ultimately sparked a terrific season. Later that year, Cripps would become the second-youngest best and fairest winner in Carlton's history when he claimed his first of four John Nicholls Medals aged just 20.

Game No.81: v Adelaide (Rd 23, 2018)

It won't be a match any Carlton supporter will reflect fondly on, but it summed up the early parts of Cripps' wonderful career. In a 104-point loss to Adelaide that finished a season where the club won just two games, Cripps was magnificent. He won 37 disposals, 23 contested possessions, 17 clearances and laid seven tackles in what proved to be a Crows demolition. The fact Cripps won two Brownlow votes in a loss by a triple-figure margin demonstrated just how gallantly the Carlton champion battled in a struggling side throughout the opening stages of his career. Remarkably, Cripps' average of 17.59 contested possessions per game across 2018 was the third-highest ever registered across a single season. This match also finished a campaign where Cripps claimed his second best and fairest and his first All-Australian blazer, while he was also named Carlton co-captain alongside Sam Docherty in the months to come.

Game No.93: v Brisbane (Rd 12, 2019)

The best game of Cripps' career. In the week after Brendon Bolton's sacking, the Carlton skipper later admitted he was physically and mentally wrecked heading into this clash against Brisbane. He was onto his fourth coach in six years, David Teague, while he was made to front a press conference in the hours after Bolton's dismissal. When the Blues found themselves 37 points down midway through the opening term of Teague's first game as caretaker coach, it looked like the low point of Cripps' career was sinking even further. But he put an end to that. Racking up 38 disposals and kicking a career-high four goals, all of which came in the second half, Cripps inspired Carlton to a remarkable victory. His first major of the afternoon gave the Blues life after half-time, his second brought the crowd into it, his third saw Carlton take control of the contest after brushing aside two would-be tacklers, while his fourth sealed the deal following a strong contested grab. It was a stunning individual effort and typified the captain's courage.

Game No.97: v Adelaide (Rd 19, 2019)

Carlton had enjoyed a sugar hit after Teague's appointment, but this clash against Adelaide proved the side's newfound mettle. Unsurprisingly, Cripps led the charge. Against a Crows side that was entrenched in the top-eight when this fixture was played, the Blues made it four wins from Teague's first five games with a professional performance. Cripps won 39 disposals and had a career-high 19 clearances in a dominant display, also winning 24 contested possessions, eight inside-50s and seven tackles in the victory. The 19 clearances now rank as the second-most on record going back to 1999, with that milestone finally broken when Gold Coast's Matt Rowell racked up 20 against Richmond in Opening Round earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, the Carlton skipper claimed all three Brownlow votes from this game to mark a season where he won the AFL Players' Association's Most Valuable Player award and added a third best and fairest, as well as a second All-Australian blazer, to his collection.

Game No.139: v Richmond (Rd 1, 2022)

The game that kickstarted a Brownlow campaign. There was genuine optimism in the air as Cripps torched the Tigers, kicking three goals to go with 30 disposals and eight clearances in the season-opener. In what was Carlton's first victory over Richmond in 11 attempts, Cripps did the majority of his damage forward of centre. He picked up a career-high 11 inside-50s and 11 contested possessions in the win, earning the first of the 29 Brownlow votes that he would amass throughout the season. All three of his goals on this night came right when the Blues needed them, each time ensuring the side stayed within touching distance of the Tigers. Ultimately, the 2022 season wasn't to be for Carlton. But this game still marked a changing of the guard in terms of the end of Richmond's dominance and the start of the Blues' build under new coach Michael Voss.

Game No.159: v Collingwood (Rd 23, 2022)

A heartbreaking defeat, but a colossal Cripps performance. As Collingwood ended Carlton's finals chances in the last round of the season, Cripps did his all to drag his side to the cusp of September. In a mammoth individual display, Cripps had 35 disposals and a career-high 27 contested possessions in an attempt to single-handedly claw the Blues to victory. His 27 contested possessions are the eighth-most on record in a single game, just five short of Ben Cunnington's high of 32 from 2018. Cripps also picked up 12 clearances and eight inside-50s, as Carlton fell just one point short of a dramatic win. The performance still earned Cripps three Brownlow votes later in the year, taking him beyond Brisbane's Lachie Neale and Gold Coast's Touk Miller to ensure he would seal his first Brownlow Medal victory. Later, a third All-Australian blazer and a fourth John Nicholls Medal as the club's best and fairest would follow.

Game No.173: v Gold Coast (Rd 14, 2023)

Carlton was in the doldrums going into this game against Gold Coast. Having just lost eight of its last nine games, the Blues looked cooked. Stuck in the bottom-four, with finals apparently out of the equation, the pressure was building on Voss' position as the club's coach. However, Cripps dragged Carlton to the release valve with another heroic display. He had 27 disposals, seven clearances and kicked three goals to spark a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the season and ensure the Blues would finally break their finals drought. The relief on Cripps' face at the final siren, and when he kicked two emotional final-quarter goals to seal victory, was palpable. Carlton ultimately won 11 of its next 12 games, inspiring a thrilling road to the preliminary final.

Game No.182: v Melbourne (SF, 2023)

Sam Walsh earned the majority of the plaudits throughout Carlton's 2023 finals run, but Cripps' semi-final was sneakily one of the most underrated performances of his storied career. The captain won 27 disposals, 16 contested possessions, nine clearances and laid six tackles in the side's thrilling two-point win, but it was his leadership that shone through in several key moments. That was most evident in the game's early stages, where Cripps was involved in a number of heated exchanges with Melbourne's Alex Neal-Bullen and Christian Salem after they each attempted to test the injured collarbone of teammate Blake Acres with bone-crunching tackles. Cripps has said throughout his entire career that he plays football for team success, and the opportunity to play in September. On this night, he made the most of that chance.

Game No.197: v Geelong (Rd 15, 2024)

Cripps' last month has seen some of the most inspired football of his career and it was sparked on a Friday night at the MCG against Geelong. He won 41 disposals, the second-most of his career, to go with 18 contested possessions, 14 clearances and five tackles. He even had four hitouts in a bruising display. He followed that performance with 40 disposals, 14 clearances and a goal against Richmond the next week – becoming the first player in more than five years to win 40-plus touches in successive games – before having 33 disposals, 11 clearances and two goals in last Saturday night's clash with Greater Western Sydney. It means that, across the last three weeks, Cripps has piled up a total of 77.1 AFL Player Ratings points – Champion Data's most definitive statistic to measure influence on a match – the third-most by any Carlton player across three weeks on record. He's also won 39 clearances in that stretch, breaking Brett Ratten's record of 38 in 1999 as the most by any Carlton player across three matches. Meanwhile, his 114 disposals in that period are the most by any Blues player across three matches on record. It's an incredibly rich vein of form, and the perfect way for Cripps to arrive at game No.200 on Saturday afternoon.