Shaun Burgoyne’s Hawthorn teammates marvel at the superstar veteran’s enduring competitiveness as he prepares to overtake Adam Goodes for the most VFL/AFL games by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander player.

The four-time premiership player will mark his 373rd game on Friday night when the Hawks face North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

At 36, Burgoyne shows no signs of slowing down. He has missed just four games this season and looks increasingly likely to go around again next year, with both club and player indicating they hope to negotiate a contract extension.

A gifted and graceful footballer capable of making the sublime look effortless, Burgoyne’s ‘Silk’ nickname is thoroughly befitting.

His teammates counter that he has always had a hard edge to his game and a relentless drive that has allowed him to grind out 18 seasons at the top level.

“His passion for the game is still as strong as ever … he’s a competitive beast so as long he’s out there, you know he’s going to kill it,” Hawks skipper Ben Stratton said on Tuesday.

“I suppose everyone sees all the goals and his midfield work but he’s played a fair chunk of footy down back as well, so I’ve been lucky enough to play alongside him.

“He’s given a couple of forwards good touch-ups, and just the way he throws his body around down there, no regard for his own safety.

“He’s done it all in every position at two different clubs. I think anyone would be happy with his career at Hawthorn – he’s done everything – but he’s had a whole (separate) career at Port Adelaide where he’s pretty much done the same thing.”

While Burgoyne has been on one-year deals for most of his time at Hawthorn, he has never missed more than a handful of games per season since arriving in 2010.

He has long been a mentor to indigenous teammates such as Chad Wingard, who followed in Burgoyne’s footsteps when he sought a trade from Port last off-season.

Like Burgoyne, Wingard has battled injuries during his first season at the Hawks after arriving as a much-hyped recruit.

“He really helped me early on, especially with the pressure to come here and perform straight away,” Wingard said.

“Obviously he had similar expectations and he had some injuries and some doubters as well.

“He just said ‘focus on what you can control’ and gave me some real insight into what he had to go through and obviously some stuff that I’ve had to go through as well.”