Ireland played her first game for the Riverina Lions back in 2004 and the Tullibegeal talent never dreamt she’d be lining up for game 200 in the red and black.

“Not a chance,” Ireland said.

“I was just happy to get the chance to play the game.”

Ireland, a multiple club best and fairest and league best and fairest, credits being a part of a team, spending time with people of similar interests, and fitness benefits to the longevity of her career.

The 200-game milestone doesn’t come easy in this era of women’s football, and given around half of these games would have been road trips to Canberra, it shows the determination and dedication of Ireland.

“She always had the ability to tackle, out-mark and stop faster and bigger opponents,” former Lions’ coach Tim Byrne said.

“She’s the best clearance player I’ve seen in women’s footy. I’ve coached across all levels for 24 years and Paddy is one of, if not the most natural footballers I’ve coached, she appears to have more time than her teammates and opponents.

“While not outwardly aggressive, her ‘white-line fever’ is focused on the ball, the contest, the opponent and the win”.

On Saturday, the Lions take on seventh-placed Ainslie at Ainslie Oval, the same place Ireland claimed best on ground in the 2005 ACT Women’s AFL grand final.

“Every game is a highlight for me, but the feeling of making it to a grand final and playing alongside your mates and trying to win one is memorable,” she said.

With a relatively inexperienced team, the tenth-placed Lions will be looking to lift for Ireland’s milestone and grab their second win of the season on Saturday.

The humble Ireland is among some of the most talented from her era.

She’s the sole player from the club to have made the All Australian team, a 22-woman team selected at National Championships each year based on performance at a week-long carnival.

Ireland has followed the rise of the game and the new AFLW competition with stars in her eyes.

“I wish that women’s AFL could have received the recognition it deserved a lot earlier,” she said.

“People are now realising we take our game seriously, and more people are willing to give it a try.”

Ireland will write herself into the record books in the coming weeks when she becomes the most-capped player at the club, and although there’s no talk of retirement, she says she’ll miss the competition and the mateship the most when she hangs up the boots.