It’s not being disrespectful to SUNS legend Sean Lemmens to say he would fly under the radar at most opposition clubs, but it is just as factual to use words like ‘loyal’ and ‘team-oriented’ and ‘dedicated’ to describe the no-frills utility defender, who on Tuesday announced his pending retirement.

Simply, he’s one of the most loved and admired figures in SUNS history.

With a proud Tiwi ancestry in the Northern Territory, he has a football journey that also took in Adelaide suburban club Salisbury, formed in 1880 and the junior club also of ex-SUNS coach Stuart Dew, and the Port Adelaide SANFL team.

Player #63 on an all-time SUNS list that now numbers 155, he made his AFL debut in Round 1, 2014 with Queenslander Clay Cameron and Jack Martin against a Richmond side coached for the 90^th time by a 41-year-old Damien Hardwick. He had 12 possessions in an 18-point SUNS win at People First Stadium in which Gary Ablett had 41 possessions and kicked two goals for three Brownlow Medal votes.

Such is the Lemmens AFL  journey that Hardwick is one of four AFL coaches from 2014 now at different clubs. Ross Lyon, now at St Kilda was at Fremantle, Alastair Clarkson, then at Hawthorn is now at North Melbourne, and Brad Scott, now at Essendon was then at North Melbourne.

Lemmens had an immediate impact at the SUNS. So much so that the 2015 AFL Guide, reflecting on his 2014 debut season, noted, “he quickly earned the respect of his teammates with his fierce attack on the ball.”

The third SUNS player to wear jumper #40 after Tom Hickey (12 games) and Andrew Boston (8 games), he wore it 36 times before handing it on to Brad Scheer (4 games), Jacob Heron (13 games) and now Joel Jeffrey (51 games).

In 2016, Lemmens inherited the #23 jumper famously worn by Indigenous superstars Andrew McLeod and Lance Franklin and recently Charlie Cameron, from inaugural SUN Charlie Dixon. And, having worn it 133 times, he is one of only two players to wear the #23 for the SUNS.

Ranked 8^th on the SUNS all-time games list, 11^th for tackles and 19^th for possessions, Lemmens’ year-by-year game count reads 18-18-13-20-10-8-6-21-20-11-3-1.

In 2021, his only week off was due to concussion. And given an otherwise free run he was seventh in the Club Champion. He was the 15^th player to reach 100 games for the SUNS, when he shared the celebration with the 200^th AFL game of Brandon Ellis against St Kilda at People First Stadium in Round 8, 2021.

Lemmens has been a SUNS warrior from the moment he was drafted by the club with pick #27 in the 2013 National Draft ahead of three current club captains, a Rising Star winner and a host of current AFL stars.

When Lemmens was drafted, Port Adelaide noted on the club website that Lemmens was the first Magpie to be taken by SUNS. Port SANFL Football Manager Scott Peters said: "Sean is an outstanding young man, who is highly respected at our football club. He joined the Magpies from local club Salisbury back in 2007 where he played in the Under-13s and progressed steadily through the grades and began playing senior footy with the reserves in 2012.

"This year (2013) was a breakout year for Sean, starting with solid form in the reserves. He got an opportunity to play for South Australia in the Under-18s National Championships where he performed solidly across half back. The Championships gave Sean enormous confidence and upon his return to the Magpies, played some outstanding games culminating with his league debut in Round 23.”

In the lead-up to the 2013 AFL Draft the SUNS had been public in their need for running half backs. They looked at out-of-favour Collingwood star Heath Shaw, who later went to GWS, but chose to go to the draft, taking Lemmens, who tipped the scales at a wafer-thin 66kg, after Kade Kolodjashnij at #5 and Jack Leslie at #20.

Then SUNS backline coach Dean Solomon said at the time: "What originally jumped out was his ability to read the play and cut the angles, knowing he had his own opponent covered, but was able to come across and assist another teammate. He looked to be a bit above the level at under-18s. He has an appetite to be in the contest and you love that in your defenders."

Lemmens will leave the AFL as part of one of the more fascinating draft flashbacks, drafted immediately after Essendon took captain Zach Merrett at #26 and immediately before Brisbane’s 2014 Rising Star Lewis Taylor.

Richmond captain Toby Nankervis went to Sydney at #35, Fremantle captain Alex Pearce went at #37, and Hawthorn captain James Sicily went at #56.

Others drafted after Lemmens who have forge good AFL careers include #29 Rory Lobb, #32 George Hewitt, #41 Jake Kolodjashnij, #43 Tom Barrass, #44 Aliir Aliir, #47 Ben Brown, #51 and current teammate Nick Holman, #52 Darcy Byrne-Jones, #52 Orazio Fantasia, #57 Josh Hunt,#65 Tom Langdson and #68 Karl Amon. Plus rookies James Harmes and Charlie Cameron.

If it turns out that Lemmens finishes his AFL career at 149 games he will join a host of prominent names who were stranded at 149 across the all-time list of 11 clubs.

Close to home, Roger Merrett, who made such an impact at People First Stadium with the Brisbane Bears from 1988-93, left Essendon after 149 games in red and black.

Collingwood 149-gamers are 1902-03 premiership player Dick Condon and 1953 premiership player Des Healey. At Fitzroy it was 1950’s star Eddie Goodger and 1912-22 premiership player Chris Lethbridge, with 1931-37 premiership player Jack Evans and nine-time Geelong leading goal-kicker Percy Martini, Hawthorn’s Jonathan Hay and Daniel Chick, who later won a premiership at West Coast.

The North Melbourne list includes Daniel Harris, who played his 150^th AFL game in the SUNS’ very first game in 2011, and 1950 grand final team member Kevin Dynon, and at Melbourne there is 1948 premiership player Arnold Lance and 1990s utility Andrew Obst, a four-time SANFL premiership player at Port Adelaide,

Richmond have George Smeaton, who played in three grand final losses in the 1940’s, St Kilda’s Bill Cubbins, Neil Besanko and Clinton Jones, who in the 2010 grand final draw and the 2009-10 grand final losses. And at Sydney it’s Steve Hoffman, who moved to Footscray to hit 150.

And if 2022-23 Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow ends up at another club next year he’ll be a Carlton 149-gamer.