ON THE cusp of his 200th game, Nat Fyfe admits there was a time where he didn’t think he’d reach the milestone.

Just the 11th player in Dockers’ history to surpass the 200 mark, Fyfe’s numerous injuries and concussions halted - and very nearly ended - a stellar career that has already included two Brownlow Medals and a raft of other accolades.

“I never thought I’d be able to last this long with my body and mind,” Fyfe said on the eve of his 200th match against Hawthorn.

“At different stages across the journey, with major surgeries and concussion, it does creep into your mind.”

But Fyfe said he had no intention of winding down his career by becoming a permanent forward, declaring he will remain a competitive midfield beast despite the toll it has taken on his body.

"I'm not a great forward. I feel like my best footy is in the midfield," Fyfe said.

The Freo superstar has suffered from repeat bouts of concussion, including as recently as round two this year, when a hit from GWS’s Sam Reid saw him substituted out under new medical protocols, as well as a broken leg that sidelined him for the majority of the 2016 season.

But despite missing at least one game in his past 11 seasons, Fyfe credited maturity and the medical staff around him for helping get to this point.

“200 games is a great chance to acknowledge all of the people who have been a part of getting me this far,” he said.

“I knew with good preparation that I would be able to string together a good amount of games, 200 games is a nice little milestone.”

Fyfe has been playing through a shoulder injury, one that will require surgery at the end of the year.

Aside from his physical emergence over the past 12 years, where the Fremantle captain went from a paltry 74kg in his debut season to a bulky 92kg in 2021, Fyfe says modelling his game on another champion in his later years has held him in good stead.

“A bit like Scott Pendlebury, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve wanted to be more efficient and smarter on how I go about it," he said..

“Mostly it’s about picking and choosing your moments to go into the carnage.

“It hasn’t quite come to life for me still this year. I’ve had a concussion, a loose shoulder and a number of other little niggles. My game is my game and I think it makes sense to stick to your strengths.”

Fremantle currently sits one game out of the eight, with matches to come against Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney in the next fortnight.