Touk Miller will squeeze a major career milestone into the Gold Coast SUNS’ all-or-nothing game against Essendon at People First Stadium tomorrow night.

Miller will hit 5000 possessions in the AFL – a level achieved by only 184 players since the inception of possession counts in 1965.

He will be the first Gold Coast player to this mark, having gone past David Swallow earlier this season to become the SUNS’ leading possession-winner all-time.

But with all the focus on the outcome, and the SUNS needing a win over the Bombers to qualify for the finals for the first time, Miller will get it out of the way early – he needs just three more.

So it will be easy for SUNS fans to count him down to 5000 before re-directing all attention to the scoreboard.

That the SUNS will need 15 wins to claim a finals berth is in itself a moment in AFL history.

Last year, in the second 23-game home-and-away season, Carlton claimed eighth spot on percentage from Collingwood with only 13 wins. The Blues, with a 13-10 win/loss record and a percentage of 110.2, edged out Collingwood at 12-9 and two draws and a percentage of 102.5.

In 2022 Sydney were eighth at 12-1-10 and 110.0%  – ahead of the 12-11 and 108.7% Bulldogs.

Since the SUNS joined the AFL in 2011 only once has a team with a percentage beyond 120 missed the finals. That was St.Kilda at 123.3% from a 12-10 split in 2012.

But percentage will not be a factor for the SUNS this year because, sitting at 120.1%, they are too far behind the Western Bulldogs at 137.0% to possibly make it up.

So, despite having already have added three wins to the club’s previous best season of 11 wins last year, and having smashed the club’s previous best full-year percentage of 102.8 in 2022, it is a simple as it can be tomorrow night – win again.

Miller will hit 5000 possessions in his 212^th game aged 29 years 126 days. This will put him 47^th on the ‘quickest’ list to 5000, and 59^th on the ‘youngest’ list.

The first player in AFL history to hit the big 5-0-0-0 in the AFL was ex-Collingwood captain and Team of the Century member Wayne Richardson in 1974. Also an Australian Football Hall of Famer, he did so in his 192^nd game in Round 22 of that year aged 27 years 266 days.

He was followed in 1975 by Richmond 400-gamer Kevin Bartlett, and in 1977 by John Murphy, father of Carlton 300-gamer and a Fitzroy star who finished his career at South Melbourne and North Melbourne.

Geelong skipper Ian Nankervis (1978) was fourth, ahead of Melbourne Team of the Century choice Stan Alves (1979), Hawthorn’s Leigh Matthews, Richmond’s Francis Bourke and Melbourne’s Greg Wells (1980), three-club ace and dual Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams (1981) and one-time Southport premiership ruckman and 1975 Brownlow Medallist Gary Dempsey, who played at Footscray and North. He hit 5000 in 1982.

The quickest player in AFL history to 5000 possessions is 2018 Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell. Now at Collingwood but on the fringe of senior selection this year, he took 170 games.

Completing the top 10 were six current players, two dual Brownlow Medallists and a recently-retired West Coast star. They were Clayton Oliver (173), Jack Macrae (177), Greg Williams (178), Adam Treloar (179), Zach Merrett (186), Lachie Neale (187), St.Kilda’s 1997-98 Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey (188), ex-Eagle Andrew Gaff and Rory Laird (189).

Harvey, who is second on the all-time AFL possession list behind Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury, was the youngest to 5000 possessions at 26 years 274 days. Oliver (26/309) and Macrae (26/355) were the only others younger than 27, while Gaff, Dustin Martin, Joel Selwood, Pendlebury, Dan Hannebery, Zach Merrett and John Murphy complete the top 10.

New Gold Coast resident Lance Franklin is far and away the player who had kicked most goals at the 5000-possession milestone. He had 1025 goals to his credit in his 330^th game in 2022.

Southport junior turned St.Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt (663) is second on this list from Leigh Matthews (555), Bulldogs great Chris Grant (553), Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich (549), Fitzroy/Footscray Brownlow Medallist Bernie Quinlan (472), Geelong’s Steve Johnson (457), ex-Essendon captain Terry Daniher (450), current GWS captain Toby Greene (392) and ex-Port star Robbie Gray (353).

The SUNS have a 5-1-11 overall record against Essendon but have won their last three meetings.

In Round 17 this year they won by 41 points at Marvel Stadium, kicking 6-3 to 0-1 in the final term in Matt Rowell’s 100^th game and Oscar Adams’ AFL debut. Joel Jeffrey (32) and Noah Anderson (30) led the possession count and Ben King (4) and Ethan Read (3) the goal tally as Zach Merrett had 40 possessions for the Bombers.

In Round 22 at Marvel Stadium last year Mac Andrew’s famous goal after the siren gave the SUNS a one-point win after they’d been 11 points down at halftime. Rowell’s 32 possessions and Andrew’s four goals were team-high. Nic Martin (36) and Merrett (32) were busy for the home side.

And in Round 12 at People First Stadium last year, after being nine points down at quarter time, the SUNS won by 11 points. Anderson (33), Sam Flanders (33) and Alex Sexton (30) had most of the ball and King and 100-gamer Ben Long kicked four goals. Merrett had 33 touches for the Bombers.