Born and bred local Robert Shirley is set to reach his one-hundred-and-fiftieth Australian Football League game this Saturday.

If all goes to plan against the West Coast Eagles, this will make him the fourteenth Crows player to make it to the 150 milestone.

For the 29-year-old local legend, making it to this career point was “a special feeling”.

He has put the hard yards in since he was a young Whyalla lad, but never thought he would come this far.

“I didn’t at any stage think I’d get there,” Shirley said.

He said it was always a milestone just to reach 100 games, but slowly but surely he accomplished his goals.

Adelaide Crows’ coach Neil Craig has witnessed Shirley’s AFL dedication, who said he was a great role model for other club members.

“He has had to work very hard over many years to get to this milestone and he’s been able to handle a lot of disappointment along the way,” Craig said.

“Not many players survive for a decade at a club and he’s done it the hard way, being delisted and then put back on the rookie list before getting another chance on the senior list.

“That takes a lot of courage, to keep pushing yourself up there for selection when the easy option would be to say it’s too hard.”

Craig said this year hadn’t been easy for Shirley either, as there were times when he was out of the side when he thought he should have been playing.

“But he loves the challenge of being given a big job for us and in recent weeks that has certainly been the case, and he’s been pretty important for us,” Craig said.

Craig, along with Shirley’s other coaches were evidently strong motivators in his career.

But those who had been there from junior to senior were the ones he owed it to the most.

“I owe a lot to mum and dad and my family for a lot of their support,” Shirley said.

He said they always gave up their time to drive and fly him to Adelaide, while still living in Whyalla.

From his friends and family’s motivation, came a drive for Shirley to do his best.