There’s little doubt Brett Deledio's DNA will always be part Tiger, but as he prepares for his 250th game, his focus on helping the GIANTS to a Grand Final has all but erased his Richmond past.
Taken with the prized No.1 pick at the 2004 NAB AFL Draft, Deledio spent the next 12 years of his life in yellow and black, winning two best and fairest awards, two Virgin Australia All Australian selections, and earning life membership with the famous club.
But some tough times with niggling injuries and an opportunity to get out of Melbourne led Deledio north at the end of last season, and while those calf and Achilles problems followed him initially, he'll bring up his milestone in his first preliminary final against his former team.
When he made the decision to leave Richmond he dreamed of playing in big finals for the GIANTS, and even though the Tigers have shot up the ladder since his exit, he hasn't questioned his call to leave.
"There's no regrets whatsoever, it was a fresh start for me which is exactly what I wanted, and I'm loving my time up here," he said.
"I've dealt with all that in October when I moved, so it's all water under the bridge."
Deledio remains close friends with plenty of his former teammates like Shaun Grigg, but there won't be much banter flying back and forth this week.
"It's been pretty respectful so far, I'm involved in a group text and they've got the congratulations and best of lucks out of the way early, so I don't think I'll be going back to that group until after the game," he joked.
"After the game it might be a bit strange but before the game it's all about the GIANTS.
"I'll be trying to do my job to get us over the line and so will 21 of my teammates."
His lower leg issues have limited Deledio to just 11 games over the past two seasons, and at stages this year it looked like he would spend the whole of 2017 looking on from the rehab room.
Saturday's match will be Deledio's seventh in a row and while it's no doubt a significant occasion on a personal level, the man who played in his first ever finals win last week is after more than individual accolades.
"If you had told me I was going to play 250 games when I first started I would have been absolutely chuffed, and I am," he said.
"It’s a great achievement and not many players get there but I'd like to add some success to that, and that starts this week with giving ourselves an opportunity by winning and getting into a Grand Final if we can.
"The prelim take precedence over the milestone and I'm just excited by the big game.
"We're looking forward to getting out there and meeting the Tigers head on."
Once a favourite of the Richmond army, Deledio knows exactly what to expect when he runs out on Saturday, with Tiger fans certain to make it an uncomfortable return to the MCG.
Callan Ward (with the Western Bulldogs), Heath Shaw (Collingwood) and Steve Johnson (Geelong) are the only other GIANTS to have experienced a near sold-out MCG, but Deledio has backed the rest of his teammates to handle the occasion.
"We've played in front of big crowds before, it was loud in Adelaide a couple of weeks ago so my advice is to get out and soak it up, look around and get a feel for what the atmosphere is like," he said.
"Once the ball is bounced you just try and forget it and listen to your teammates because that's all you can rely on once you're out there.
"It's the same as any interstate game you try and kick the first couple to shut them up."
