Eli Barker's passion for game remains strong ahead of game 200 for Old Collegians

A day after turning 33, Barker will run out for his 200th club game for the Warriors on Saturday in a crucial clash against Russells Creek. He said he was looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate the milestone in front of a home crowd.

"It's great to get there, but just looking forward to running out there with all the teammates again," he said. "And we've got a Day at the Davo function on so hopefully there will be a fair few Warriors' fans there cheering us on."

Joining the Warriors from South Warrnambool in 2009, Barker said the opportunity to play alongside brother Simon was too good to pass up.

"I went there to play with him, and then met a lot of mates and a lot of good people at the club and never left," he said.

Playing in several successful sides over the years, premiership glory has narrowly eluded the midfielder, having lined up in four losing grand finals. But as he gets older, Barker says winning a flag isn't his sole reason for playing anymore.

"It'd be great to get back there, but now it's more the social side and meeting new people along the way," he said. "We're a young group this year and it's fun running around with a lot young kids. Hopefully they can keep me young and going for a few more years."

Getting back to playing regular football after two years of COVID-19 disruptions is another key reason for Barker to stay involved.

"Especially getting into your 30s and you don't know when you're career might end, to have football back to normal and be able to run around there every week, I'm still really enjoying it," he said. "You're a long time retired everyone tells me, but I'll keep trying to strap the boots on if I can."

This season has also presented Eli his first opportunity to introduce 19-month old daughter, Thea to the world of football.

"This is her first year coming to the footy and she sees dad out on the field," he said. "That's a bit of fun to have her come and watch."

With the Warriors still searching for its first win on Saturday, Barker is looking forward to cracking into the undefeated Creek.

"Creek will be a very hard beat, they've got a lot of good top-end talent, very slick," he said. "Looking forward to seeing how we go."

Barker thanked his family and friends for their support along the way. Old Collegians and Russells Creek face off from 2.20pm at Davidson Oval.