‘Radar’ was going into his third year when I arrived at the Adelaide Football Club at the end of 2004.

I still remember my Induction Day. Brent came along to give a young player’s perspective. He spoke to my parents about how he hated his first two years here and really struggled to settle in. I could see my parents standing there thinking, ‘This isn’t what we want to hear!’

But then Brent talked about how he’d changed his attitude towards being away from home in a different state. With the help of Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin and Michael Doughty, he came to love Adelaide and started to see it as home. He decided he wanted to make the most of the great opportunity the Club had given him.

From day one, I looked up to Brent. One of the very first things he said to me was, ‘I was your size when I first got here’. I looked at Brent and he was this big, muscly, AFL-ready guy. I was a scrawny little 70-kilogram kid, wondering how on earth I was going to mix it with these guys. I remember thinking, if I can look anything like Brent by the time I finish my career I’ll be more than happy!

The first thing that struck me about Brent as a player was his skill level.

He’s an elite kick. ‘Walshy’ spoke about it the other day; that opposition teams hated it when the ball was in Brent’s hands because he would pierce through them with his skills.

Early days, some of my favourite memories were of Brent playing on a wing for us.

He’d play through the midfield and have running shots at goal. We were always confident when he had the ball in his hands 50-60 metres out from goal, that his penetrating kick would get the journey.

In one of the Showdowns at AAMI Stadium, he snapped a pretty unbelievable goal over his shoulder from deep in the pocket. I remember that goal spurred us on to win the game that day.

He added the ability to take intercept marks when he moved into defence later in his career. That mark against Sydney at the SCG in 2012 was amazing. It wasn’t the last passage of play, but I think it won us the game. Hopefully, Brent gets a copy of that game and shows his kids one day because we’ll certainly never forget it. It was one of the most memorable moments of my career.

It was a credit to Brent that he was able to re-invent himself in 2012 at the age of 28. It isn’t always easy, but you have to evolve as a player to not just survive, but perform at the level as long as Brent did. He never once gave up on his ability, and knew that he had to knuckle down and work hard.

Brent reaped the rewards that year, and was named in the All-Australian squad. It was great recognition for an outstanding year and probably adds to the Brent Reilly legacy around the place. He’s a great example that you can always improve no matter how old or experienced you are.

A side of Brent that probably hasn’t been seen or spoken about externally is his mentoring.

Brent wasn’t part of our leadership group, but he was certainly a leader around the Club. You only have to speak to our younger player and even some our middle-tier players, like Patrick Dangerfield and Daniel Talia who Brent’s worked with over the years, to see the influence he’s had on them.

Brent’s been through it all in 14 years. He can talk to guys about almost anything; from form slumps, to embracing a new position and homesickness. He’s got a lot of experience to pass on.

As senior leaders, we knew we could rely on Brent. He’d go and speak to someone off his own bat if he knew they were struggling. He was able to have good one-on-one conversations with players, which is a strong sign of leadership. He helped get their confidence back up and showed that he cared about them as a player and a person.

Brent’s wife, Jamie, has certainly had an influence on him. Jamie and Brent are a loved couple.

Brent’s followed Jamie’s lead and is right into his fashion. He was always the one who would point it out if a player rocked up to the Club in an outrageous kit! Now, someone will have to step in and make sure our fashion standards are maintained.

Michael Doughty used to help him out there too. We still call Radar and Dogga ‘Salt and Pepper’. They’re best mates; like peas in a pod. One of them would have a go at someone and the other would back him up. It was quite amusing at times. You’d rarely see them apart from one another.

The boys love Brent and he’s going to be missed around the footy club. He likes to have a good laugh in the change rooms and loves catching up for lunch and a coffee. If anyone’s got a question about the best restaurants in town, or the new ‘it’ place to go – Brent is your man. He’s very cultured.

Brent’s had some tough times and setbacks throughout his career, but he always approached them with a great attitude. It’s a good lesson for younger and senior players, that no matter how things are going you’ve got to front up each day and keep looking to improve.

Brent’s been incredible over the last few months since the accident.

He’s maintained such a positive attitude. Initially a lot of us, as players and friends, were really worried for him, to see how he would recover.

A few of us went in and saw Brent in hospital on the first night after the injury. He still managed to give us thumbs up and half a smile, as if to say, ‘Thanks for coming, guys’.

We were pretty shell-shocked at the time and it was pretty emotional for us, but it’s been amazing to see him come through the last couple of months and the in-roads that he’s made.

Brent’s really grateful for the support he’s received from the footy club and everyone outside, but I hope he realises that his attitude is one of the main reasons he’s been able to recover as quickly as he has. He knows he’s still got a way to go to get where he wants to be, but if he maintains the attitude he’s had throughout his footy career, I’ve got no doubt he’ll get back to good health.

Brent’s really admired across the board, which speaks volumes of his character and commitment to AFL footy. To play 200 AFL games is a phenomenal achievement and I know he’s really honoured to have achieved that with this Club.

Fourteen years ago, who would’ve thought Brent Reilly would be saying he’s a Life Member of the Adelaide Football Club, that he loves the place and wants to hang around.