When Adam Simpson arrived at the Kangaroos back in 1995 as a 17-year-old, he was motivated by every draftee’s dream: to play seniors.

He has displayed a flint-hard work ethic from day one and lived by the mantra - do what the coach asks and you’ll get a game next week.

While the skipper is now a permanent fixture in the line-up, it hasn’t always been the case. Getting a game in the ‘90s for the Kangas was no mean feat. They’re regarded as the team of the ‘90s for good reason.

“Back then you just wanted to play in the seniors and back then we were winning every week, and playing finals and grand finals; so to get a game every week as a young bloke was pretty hard,” he says.

“Back then there were no rotations. You got your half a game or maybe just a quarter to prove yourself; sometimes you would and sometimes you wouldn’t.”

Simpson did his apprenticeship in the reserves during his first year at the club. He was rewarded with two games in his second season, before playing every game, including the premiership, in 1996.

In the early days, he quickly discovered his talent, and ticket to a regular senior game, was by being an effective tagger.

“Back then, it was just starting to evolve with the running half back flankers, like Brad Sholl and Guy McKenna and those type of guys, and my job was to try and shut those guys down.

“So I wasn’t even in the midfield. I was playing as a forward but as a defensive forward,” he says.

Taggers can push the limits with umpires and opposing fans. It’s not a glamour role, but Simpson says it suited him perfectly as a young tyro.

“If you are told this is how you are going to get a game, stop so and so … it gives you a focus,” he says.

Taggers are still prevalent in the game, but what has changed in a decade of playing in the topflight? You’d think fitness levels have improved, but Simpson doesn’t agree.

“I don’t think the players are any fitter but what they’re doing now is going flat out for as long as they can and then you come off for a rest.

Then you recharge the batteries and you get back on and do the same thing,” he says.

“In the late 90s you would play on the ball the whole day; if you wanted a rest you might go down the forward line and rest ... It’s more explosive, more power based now.”

Simmo finds it hard to nominate his qualities as a player; he settles on consistency.

“I suppose I strive for consistency; I don’t think my great games are ten out of ten, I might have an eight out of ten, and my bad game might be a six out of ten,” he says.

“I try and remain consistent; I’ve been trying to do that over my whole career, so you know what you get when I’m playing … I want to be remembered as a reliable player.”

Teams don’t generally like to admit they’ll try harder because a player is celebrating a milestone game. But it’s fair to say every bump, tackle and goal will have a bit extra this weekend because the Kangaroos will be ‘doing it for Simmo’ when they take on Carlton.

“At the start you just want to play one game and once you play that one game you want to hold your spot in the team, and then the games creep up on you a little bit and before you know it you’ve been at the club for over ten years and you’re a veteran,” Simpson says.