DAVID Swallow is as quietly spoken off the field as he is brutal on it, and his Gold Coast teammates would have it no other way.
As the Suns' inaugural No.1 draft pick in 2010, Swallow has seen just about everything in his 11 years at the club.
He's overcome career-threatening knee injuries, watched countless teammates walk out the door, seen two senior coaches come and go and risen to be the Suns' joint captain.
And above all, he's endured.
Still only 28 years old, it was almost fitting to see Swallow kick the winning goal against Greater Western Sydney last Sunday to give Gold Coast a second straight win.
After putting his team in the lead with less than three minutes remaining there was no carry-on, no exuberant celebration, just a few high fives and back to the centre circle.
"He's a quiet, modest guy that has an ability to turn it on on game day," fellow co-captain Jarrod Witts told AFL.com.au.
"Any time he has a chance to go (for a contested ball), he goes. Any time the team needs a little extra, he'll be there trying to do it.
"He has an uncanny ability to kick a goal when we need it.
"He leads by his actions and there's no better way to be as a captain."
The playing side has never been an issue for Swallow, a bull-at-a-gate midfielder for Western Australia that declined interest from elsewhere to remain with the Suns.
Someone that knows him better than most is the man that was taken two places after him in that inaugural draft, Sam Day.
Now living in the same street, with partners that get along like a house on fire, Day described Swallow as a "battering ram" on the field that would do anything to help his team.
But it's what he does off it that impresses the former No.3 pick as much as anything.
"He's been that solid rock for the club the whole way through, no matter what's happened, personnel (changes), coaches, fitness staff, he's been the consistent person the whole group can look up to," Day said.
"He forms relationships through the roof. You won't find a better bloke for that.
"He always has guys around to his place, catches up with people for coffee to see how they're going, and he does it through the whole list.
"People might find it exhausting to have a relationship with 50 other guys and other coaches and staff, but he finds a way."
Like Day, ruckman Zac Smith was there for Swallow's first pre-season, and vividly remembers the first time they met.
"He was 17 and his body was so mature. I remember seeing him for the first time with his shirt off and I was pretty impressed," Smith laughed.
"It was a pretty big talking point for a while, how physically ready he was.
"It quickly became apparent how unselfish he was … and that hasn't changed for the last 10 years.
'He's been true to himself, which I've loved, he was never trying to be someone else."
Swallow will play his 170th game on Saturday when the Suns host the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium, but it's been a tough road.
After winning the best and fairest in 2014 – Gold Coast's best season – he played just six games over the next two years with ongoing knee issues.
Slowly but surely Swallow returned towards his best though, even changing from a pure inside midfielder to a half-forward at stages to help the development of Touk Miller and accommodate the acquisitions of Matt Rowell and Hugh Greenwood.
No fuss, no drama, not even for someone elevated with Witts to the joint captaincy prior to 2019.
Witts described himself as someone that could get "hot headed" at times and said Swallow's calming nature was a perfect complement.
He does have one "quirky" interest though.
"He likes karaoke," Witts laughed.
"He likes screamo music. It's nuts. You don't pick it. He's fully into Linkin Park, that type of stuff."
No-one deserves success at the Suns quite like Swallow, a "star that flies under the radar" according to Smith.
Quietly, he's having another excellent season, averaging 22 disposals and five tackles.
"We've had many chats to and from the club in the car," Day said.
"Not so much in terms of crisis type chats, but little tweaks. I might focus on a few guys and feed back to him. We can bounce off each other in terms of relationships.
"He's inspiring. You know you're running out next to a bloke that gives his all every contest he goes into and that makes you want to do that.
"If he's leading the way, as he does every week, the rest of us are way better off having him out there.
"When he speaks, boys listen, because he speaks from the heart and everyone has that good relationship with him and trust him to the nth degree."
