Set to return from a knee reconstruction against Richmond in Hobart from 1.10pm, Hipwood will be the 717^th player among in 13,332 all-time to hit 200 games, putting him in an uber-elite 5.8% of players since the VFL/AFL was formed in 1897.

He will become the player who has watched his club play most games while stranded on 199.

And not only is he the only player to have missed a final on 199 games but he experienced the gut-wrenching split emotions of watching them win a premiership.

It was Friday 15 August 2025 when Hipwood suffered a partial ACL tear against Fremantle in Perth. It was the same knee which underwent a reconstruction in 2021.

Originally said to have had a calf strain, he missed Round 24 before scans revealed the full extent of the injury, which he’d unknowingly carried for some time.

He then missed the four finals which culminated in the 47-point grand final win over Geelong, and has missed the first 13 games of this year.

The lanky left-footer’s 18-game stint on 199 games is one of only six beyond five games in history. Or 0.8% of all 200-gamers.

Now 28, he’ll take the #1 slot on this bizarre list from ex-Collingwood/Gold Coast ruckman turned Carlton caretaker Josh Fraser, who was 12 games between his 199^th and 200^th in 2010.

Recent Lions Hall of Fame inductee Scott McIvor is one of three players who watched 10 games on 199 in 1997. The others were Sydney’s Jared Crouch in 2007 and Geelong’s David Wocjinski in 2012 after he’d played his 199^th game in the 2011 grand final. StKilda’s Justin Koschitzke was eight games on 199 before a farewell game in the last round of 2013.

Of the game’s 716 200-gamers, 671 (93.7%) played their 200^th in the next game scheduled after their 199^th, including 31 who did so in Round 1 of the following season.

Eighteen players missed one game on 199, eight missed two games, five missed three games and four missed four games and five games.

If there’s a sporting analogy to compare with Hipwood’s 199-game agony it is the three Australian Test cricketers who are among 12 across all countries to be dismissed on 199 – Steve Waugh, Matthew Elliott and Steve Smith.

In 54 subsequent Tests Waugh never scored a double-century, while Elliott was nine Tests into a 21-Test career when he scored 199. He never got to 200.

But in 95 Tests and 10 years since his 199 Smith has scored three double-centuries among 28 more centuries.

Hipwood will be the 23^rd 200-gamer among 358 Brisbane players all-time, and the fifth among the current group alongside Dayne Zorko (311), Harris Andrews (249), Ryan Lester (243) and Hugh McCluggage (218).

Other Brisbane 200-gamers are Simon Black (322), Marcus Ashcroft (318), Michael Voss (289), Luke Power (282), Nigel Lappin (279), Daniel Rich (275), Shaun Hart (273), Darryl White (268), Jonathan Brown (256), Jason Akermanis (248), Justin Leppitsch (227), Daniel Bradshaw (222), Chris Scott (215), Ash McGrath (214), Tim Notting (208), Jed Adcock (206), Chris Johnson (205) and Daniel Merrett (200).

In a double Queensland milestone celebration on Sunday, Andrews will also become the club’s 11^th 250-gamer after Black, Ashcroft, Zorko, Voss, Power, Lappin, Rich, Hart, White and Brown.

To his great relief, Hipwood will be spared the ignominy of five AFL players who finished their career on 199 games.

This group includes ex-Lion turns Sydney captain Craig Bolton, Geelong’s Steve Hocking, Western Bulldogs’ Brian Royal, Lachie Hunter, who played 173 games with the Bulldogs and 26 for Melbourne, and Gary Cowton, who split 199 over two stints at North Melbourne (151), Bulldogs (40) and South Melbourne now Sydney (8).

Next week Hipwood will go ahead of 18 players who finished on 200. This group includes Brisbane’s McIvor and Daniel Merrett, one-clubbers Daniel Talia (Adelaide), Michael Sexton (Carlton), Ted Pool and Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), John Longmire (North), Basil McCormack, Michael Roach and Alex Rance (Richmond), Koschitzke (StKilda) and Norm Ware (Bulldogs),

Two-club players to finish on 200 gamers were Neville Fields (Essendon/Sydney), Mathew Stokes (Geelong/Essendon), Stuart Trott (StKilda/Hawthorn), Alan Stoneham (Bulldogs/Essendon), George Bennett (Hawthorn/Bulldogs) and Shane Woewodin (Collingwood/Melbourne).

Among 213 Queensland football products to play at AFL level, Hipwood will be the 18^th to hit 200 games and Harris the 8^th to 250 games.

With 287 goals in 199 games, the ex-Sunshine Coast junior will reach 200 with more goals than all but Jason Dunstall (984), Nick Reiwoldt (444) and Charlie Dixon (329).