The new contract commits Rowan to the Blues until the end of the 2016 season, by which time he will only be 30. After kicking 112 goals this season, Rowan is within 196 of Tony Russell’s all-time mark of 1021 career goals, having kicked 825 from 187 senior games.

Rowan is playing down talk of reaching the 1000-goal mark, revealing the pain of a grand final loss to Koroit a month ago had cut deep with him and his teammates.

The 28-year-old has already resumed individual training, as have his teammates, as they prepare to enter the club’s official first pre-season training session next month fitter than in the past seven summers after grand final appearances.

Rowan said he was pleased to ink a new deal with the Blues, the club he has played with since under 14s. Rowan will enter his 13th senior season with Warrnambool next year and he said the timing of his latest contract was important.

“It’s good to get it all sorted out quickly,” Rowan said.

“I had signed a two-year deal with an option of a third (and the two years was up) and we just sat down and decided to extend it for another two instead of the one.”

Asked if he hoped the deal would ensure he stayed a one-club player — a rarity in football in this era — he replied: “I’m not thinking that far ahead at the moment, I think so.”

“Another two years I will be 30 and we’ll see how we are going after that. Hopefully I will have another year or two left after that.”

Rowan is philosophical about the league’s goalkicking record.

“The goals will just take care of themselves,” he said. “I don’t go out there thinking I’ve got to get 100. It just seems to happen itself when the team is playing well and I’m playing my role.

“It would be a great achievement to be the all-time leading goalkicker. It will happen if it is meant to happen.”

Rowan said he and his teammates were expecting a long pre-season.

“The word is this pre-season things might step up a helluva lot (after the grand final loss),” he said.

“I know it hurts. You will always look back and think that it was one that got away from us. The majority of boys are back into work, whether it is the gym or running the roads. The boys are going to have a massive crack.

“Full credit to Koroit in the grand final. They came out from the word go and went bang.”

Rowan said he had relished the Blues’ captaincy, maturing as a leader. His role had exposed him to the inner workings of the coaching team led by coach Scott Carter and his assistants Simon Perry and Mark Inia.

“I will definitely go down that (coaching) track when an opportunity arises but I’m just happy playing,” he said.

“A few years ago I thought I might have been ready to go into an assistant coaching role. But since being captain I’ve enjoyed just playing and leading the boys. I will look to go down the coaching path either when I’m finished or as a playing coach, not too sure.”

The Blues begin pre-season training officially on November 24, when South Australian National Football League signing Tim McIntrye will be unveiled as a playing assistant coach.

grbest@fairfaxmedia.com.au