It’s taken almost 10 years for Sam Reid to bring up 50 AFL games but, when he reaches the milestone on Friday night, he’ll be the happiest bloke on the field.

The Greater Western Sydney player, having retired and becoming a coach for two years due to injury in 2013, will finally reach the mark against Geelong.

The 29-year-old says it’s been a rollercoaster journey but he’s happy and loves the game more than ever.

“Ups and downs, a couple of sackings – it’s been a long ride but I’m about to get to 50 games and to have this opportunity over the last couple of years to come back … has been pretty good,” he said on Wednesday.

“Not many people get an opportunity and I’ve been drafted three times, and that doesn’t happen too often … I’m really grateful”.

Reid said for the first six years of his AFL career – at the Western Bulldogs and the Giants – he was stressed.

“I worried about how I played. I was on the fringe,” he said.

“Then the two years I had off, I found a real love for the game. I had that mentality I just wanted to enjoy it and love it and bounce off the crowd and give as much as I can.”

“That’s the mentality I try and have now. I’m pretty jovial before the games. I have a laugh and a joke and take it out there onto the ground and enjoy it.”

“I feel amazing, my body feels really good. I’m playing in a top-four team, which sounds sort of ridiculous given where I’ve come from.”

Reid’s 50-game haul will be the slowest in AFL history and the third slowest in the VFL according to GWS but the journeyman said he’s proud of the stat.

“When you start out, you want to try and get yourself in the record books or on a trivia question,” he said.

“I think I’ve nailed that one.”