And now, less than two months shy of his 31st birthday, the man they call 'Froggy' looks to have two hands on a starting spot in a Lions team that is pushing for a premiership.
"When he plays at AFL level, we know he can do the job, but the other part is his off-field stuff," Brisbane football manager Danny Daly said.
"He's in our leadership group, he always gets voted in. He's a fantastic person to have around the club. We know if he's not playing AFL, he's basically captaining our seconds.
"As a human being, he's one of a kind. You can't have enough of them around the club, and it keeps getting him contracts."