In his thirteenth season at the Saints, Jason admits there is something special about running onto the football ground in the red, white and black.

“It’s very exciting to be a part of this great Club,” said Jason.

“It’s quite a humble feeling to play 200 games, and I’m very proud to be a part of St Kilda.”

The 32-year-old from Bayside was drafted to St Kilda from the Beaumaris Football Club in the 1999 National AFL Draft, making selection 24 overall.

After debuting for the Saints during Round 9 in 2000 against the Western Bulldogs, Jason’s AFL career took off.

The utility has been an important part of the Saints’ defensive structure for more than a decade and in 2010 was a key member of the AFL’s stingiest defence, lining up on forwards tall and small, and at times helping out in the ruck.

It was in that year, that he describes encountering one of his most memorable times at the Club, after St Kilda was just a whisker away from claiming its second Premiership in a Grand Final draw against Collingwood.

“Whilst it was devastating, that Grand Final was quite incredible to be a part of,” he recounted.

“But my best memory is the core group of guys that I’ve travelled with along the journey, and I’m really privileged to be a part of that.”

He played one of the best games of his career in 2011 when he returned from a 10-week lay-off due to a knee injury. The round 20 game against Essendon saw the defender gather 27 possessions in the win.

After being delisted from the Veterans List and re-drafted during the 2012 AFL National Draft on to the Primary List, Senior Coach Scott Watters said there was no doubt Jason has always been an important asset to St Kilda’s playing List.

“Blakey always knew from our point of view how valued he was as a player and our intention was always to keep him on the List. I couldn’t rate a player more highly than the way I look at Blakey,” said Senior Coach Scott Watters this week.

“It (this game) will be a fitting tribute to a player that always puts the team and the Club first, and because of that he’s loved by his teammates. He’s just a terrific person to have at the Club.”

While Jason is passionate about playing AFL football he has proved his talent off the field, completing a Civil Engineering degree within his first decade at the Club. He is currently working on a few projects, and hopes to develop his career in Project Management in the future.
Although he admits that winning a Premiership would be a fitting achievement.

“It will be nice to knock off that ‘One Day in September,” he smiled.

“But it’s really just weekend by weekend at the moment. A new group of guys coming in, and a new coach has been fantastic, it has really freshened the place up. I’m really excited to be a part of this new group and I can’t wait for Round 1,” he concluded.

Watch Jason Blake talk about his 200 game milestone in the video above.

You can watch him make history on Sunday at AAMI Stadium when the Saints take on Port Adelaide in Round 1 of the 2012 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

To celebrate the milestone, grab yourself a commemorative badge here.