Jason Nightingale is one of the most senior and respected players in the St George Illawarra Dragons squad.
At 29-years-old, Nightingale is the third oldest player at the club.
He has seen a big turnover of players since he was graded from Renown United in 2007.
The man who teammates call ‘‘Gypsy’’ has been a mainstay of the Dragons back line since then.
But the coaching staff will tell you he still has ‘‘young legs’’ to get up and down the field in attack and defence.
The St George junior has played 196 games in the Red V, scored 86 tries and played 24 Tests for New Zealand.
With just four more games Nightingale will reach the 200 game milestone.
‘‘It would be a great privilege to bring up 200 games for this great club,” he said.
“I feel extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to do so. Milestones are nice and I’m looking forward to the occasion but getting the win is what we want and will enable me to enjoy it a lot more.’’
Pending selection, the New Zealand international will play his 200th game against Penrith in Wollongong on March 27.
Nightingale is smart enough to realise with new recruits Kurt Mann from Melbourne and former Canterbury centre Tim Lafai joining there is plenty of depth in the outside backs this season. Then there is 20-year-old Euan Aitken, Peter Mata’utia and Arncliffe Scots junior Yaw Kiti Glyman jostling for spots in the three-quarter-line.
Nightingale’s essential specialist role as a winger gives him extra clout in the selection stakes but he understands there is pressure for starting places.
‘‘I think it’s a good thing for the club to have competition for places,’’ Nightingale said.
‘‘We have a lot of depth.
‘’I think it’s good to see so many young players coming through here at the one time.’’
Nightingale is under contract for the 2016-17 seasons.
There was a period in 2015 when he had to make a decision to stay with his beloved Dragons or move elsewhere.
Nightingale and Ben Creagh are the only two Dragons that remain playing from the 2010 premiership-winning squad.
St George Illawarra had an up and down season last year, losing their opening two games before winning their next six.
Frustratingly the Dragons then lost seven in a row, going almost two months without a win before sneaking into the finals with a late surge.
But Nightingale and coach Paul McGregor will hope they have the quality and depth in the squad to build on their finals appearance of last season, where they were eliminated 11-10 in week one by a Josh Reynolds field goal in golden point extra time against Canterbury.
