GREATER Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron has lauded Rhys Palmer's persistence ahead of Palmer's 100th game on Saturday against Gold Coast in Canberra.
The injury-plagued 26 year-old will finally reach three figures in his eighth season in the competition, after a knee reconstruction at Fremantle and foot and hamstring troubles at the Giants forced him to do it the hard way.
Palmer was an underage representative star for Western Australia before being selected as the seventh pick in the 2007 NAB AFL draft, and played 20 games in his debut season, winning the AFL's NAB AFL Rising Star Award in 2008.
But a serious knee injury ruined his 2009 season, and three years later the Docker signed with GWS for its first year in the AFL.
Cameron says Palmer's perseverance and willingness to do the hard things makes him a deserved 100-gamer.
"Every club will have those sort of players, whether it's through injury or deficiencies in their game that they have to overcome, and they do it by just their sheer effort," Cameron said.
"They're the sort of players who spiritually hold the group together, and Rhys Palmer is one of those players.
"The reason why Rhys Palmer gets picked every week is because he puts his head over the footy and he loves to play hard footy."
Palmer played 20 games in 2008 and looked to be on the verge of stardom, but hasn't reached the mark in a single season since thanks to a host of injuries, and says it's the tough times that make this week even more special.
"It's been a long slog, a lot of work behind the scenes, so to get a milestone of 100 games is a proud moment not just for myself, but for all the people who have helped me along the way," Palmer said.
"Just rocking up every year, every day, and trying to put your best foot forward; it's a very ruthless industry so I'm grateful to be in it."
Adding significance to Palmer's milestone, the Giants will take on the Suns on Anzac Day at StarTrack Oval in Canberra, just minutes from the Australia War Memorial.
With a sister who spent an extended period in the Australian Air Force, the importance of Anzac Day is something Palmer knows all about.
"Although it's just a game of footy, it's our little way to show respect to all the Anzacs who fought for us and it makes me very proud to be Australian," Palmer said.
The Giants will wear a specially-designed jumper on Saturday evening against the Suns. It includes an image of a World War I digger within Canberra's iconic Black Mountain Tower, with a charcoal camouflage element incorporated in the bottom half of the jumper.
Cameron says everybody at the Giants is aware how lucky they are to be playing on such a special day.
"For our club, our players, it's a privilege to play against Gold Coast, with the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli," Cameron said.
"It's a great opportunity, our players have penciled it in from the start and thought 'how good is this going to be?'.
"When we were down in Canberra for our community camp in February, we spent three or four hours at the war memorial, going through the history of Anzac, so the players know about the Anzac Day spirit."
