GOLD Coast captain Noah Anderson is about to match his father Dean on 150 career games, yet their respective playing paths could hardly be more different.

Dean, who played 83 games for Hawthorn and 67 for St Kilda, had to wait until just before his 21st birthday, at the end of his third season, to debut for the dominant Hawks late in 1988.

Noah on the other hand played in round one of 2020 for the Suns having just turned 19 following his selection with the second pick in the previous year’s draft.

Dean played for a powerhouse Victorian club in front of huge crowds most weeks. By his 64th career game he had two premierships, helping Hawthorn to flags in 1989 and 1991.

Noah was drafted to a struggling expansion club in a growing market and didn't taste any finals action until his 128th game.

"They've certainly been different journeys," Dean told AFL.com.au.

"He's a significantly better player than I was. I was a good athlete who could run hard all day, but Noah's just got more class than I had. He just moves so much better."

Although his journey to playing regular senior footy took a little longer, Dean said he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

He loved being at the best club in the competition, but with that came serving an apprenticeship. The Hawks team of the mid-to-late 1980s was loaded, with players like Michael Tuck and Robert DiPerdomenico playing similar positions to his wing and half-forward role to learn from.

After missing out on the 1988 premiership when named an emergency, Anderson became a regular in 1989 and kicked four goals in the storied Grand Final win over Geelong to play a huge role in the premiership.

"Footy is always a test, but for me there was selection pressure," Dean said of his early years.

"Sometimes you'd have to read the paper on Friday to see if you'd made the team. That's just how it was back then.

"They were hard times when you had a tough game and the coach wouldn't speak to you for a week, and then you'd find out you were dropped in the paper.

"The journey for me in the early days was really really tough, but that made the success so sweet.

"For me, 150 games was probably different in my mind than it is for Noah."

In terms of reaching the milestone that’s certainly true, with Noah missing just four games since his debut against Port Adelaide that was played in front of no spectators as COVID-19 was about to shut down both the competition and country.

However, his struggles have come in a different form.

While dad was plying his trade in the reserves to break into a team at the tail end of a golden era, Noah was having to learn via losing as the Suns rebuilt from the bottom up.

Five wins in year one. Five in year two. Then nine and nine in years three and four as Gold Coast continued to not even sniff September.

Last year, his sixth, Anderson won a first All-Australian blazer, won the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award, and perhaps most importantly, led the Suns to a first ever finals win over Fremantle.

After following in dad’s footsteps by representing Victoria in February's State of Origin, this season has been the polar opposite to last, with the Suns breaking a 10-game losing streak at the weekend and facing scrutiny for a campaign that has fallen well short of expectations.

"We talk every week," Dean said.

"We have a really strong relationship. It's been an interesting period because of the challenges he's had. It's really hard as a father, because where’s the line?

"I work in teams and culture, but I know he's only got so many tickets to get through the day.

"I stayed with him for four days recently, which was good. He doesn't talk about things a lot, but I just wanted to get him to remember why he loves footy and what he does well.

"Footy is a microcosm of life. there's always bumps in the road for everyone. Things aren't ever as bad as you think at the time or as good as you think they are.

"Whilst it's been challenging this year, they've still got belief they're a good team. I think this could be the making of them."

Noah will run out alongside fellow 150-gamer Wil Powell at the Gabba on Saturday night as the Suns try to put a dent in the finals aspirations of Queensland rivals, Brisbane.