Daniel McStay heads into his 150^th AFL game against St Kilda on Saturday in a completely different light to that of the one he has spent most of his career.

The 26-year-old is one of Brisbane's most important players and one of the competition’s most in-form forwards.

The extra attention is reasonably new to McStay, who has quite often willingly lived in the shadows of teammates for many years.

Coming through the junior ranks, into the TAC Cup and ahead of the 2013 AFL draft - McStay was talented, but he journeyed alongside best mate and eventual number one pick Tom Boyd.

Without the same fanfare and media attention, McStay was selected by the Lions with pick 25. Boyd confirmed his mate wouldn’t have been bothered by the number.

He then recalled one of the of the pair’s earliest childhood memories, a schoolboy’s football match at the age of 11 or 12.

“I was sent to full forward because I was told I had already made the team and they wanted to let other people shine,” Boyd explained.

“Dan got sent to play on me also because he also dominated, but little did he know he was already picked.

“When he came down to me, he played as physical as he could and was so nervous about trying to make it.

“I told him he had already made it and to relax, but he wouldn’t believe me, and he just kept trying to play the best he could.”

Boyd, a 2016 premiership player with the Western Bulldogs, said it was that trait McStay showed as a kid that has got him to where he is today.

“He has never been comfortable and has never finished improving, he is always looking to improve,” he said of his former Eastern Ranges premiership teammate.

“He missed out on teams and faced challenges, but he just kept working and he gets better every year.

“He’s always been the second or third tall, though he can play at both ends and he is so reliable and is happy to do the boring stuff – there’s no fuss with him.

“He just wants to contribute, and he has done a wonderful job to get to where he is. I am just so proud of the guy.”

Two of those trends looked to continue for McStay when he arrived at The Gabba.

At times to be out shadowed by higher profile teammates and the other is the hunger to become the best he can be.

His debut against North Melbourne in round 15 of 2014 became Jonathan Brown’s official farewell in front of a home crowd, after retiring a week earlier.

The humble McStay would have been unfazed by the focus being on one of the club’s all-time greatest players, but Brown said sharing the night made his send-off even more special.

“I had an affinity with the young forwards, so it was nice to be able to hand the baton over to Dan in his first game,” the three-time premiership Lion said.

“I had taken the young forwards under my wing, and I guess in a way coached them in the back half of the year.

“I remember sitting in the corporate box with my family and good mate Tim Notting, and I said to him how proud I was and that I got to sing the song one last time also.

“So as hard as retiring is, to be part of Dan’s debut and it to be a win made it a lasting memory.”

On that night Brown walked off the field with McStay as a then promising young talent, now he refers to him a ‘game changer’ from the commentary box.

The former Lions captain didn’t miss the opportunity of a tongue-in-cheek comment that he deserves some credit for McStay’s rise into a valuable player.

Brown said he was impressed by the progression of one of his protégés.

“He has been a critical player structural for a while, but he has progressed this year, and at times he has grabbed hold of games and been best forward,” he said.

“He is underrated from the outside, but I know how important he can be and talking to Fages (coach Chris Fagan) he tells me.

“Now he’s not just important, he can dominate a game of football.”

Seeing the 26-year-old prepare to run out for his 150^th milestone for the Lions is far from a surprise for Brown.

“I used to get up him a bit because like most young blokes he put too much pressure on himself and had over expectations,” Brown recalled.

“But it was just because he was always invested and wanted to do well.

“It’s a great effort to get to 150 games and shows his resilience.

“He has done a fantastic job to become a consistent goal kicker, now becomes a life member and hopefully a premiership player in the near future.”