Lachie Neale will turn 30 today (Wednesday) and will inevitably be hit with a mountain of ‘old’ jokes. Like ‘it’s just 18 with 12 years of experience’ or ‘it’s three perfect tens’. Or perhaps ‘it’s not old – it’s a young mature’.

But rather than turning to non-humourous Internet offerings to mock light-heartedly the quickest and slickest 30-year-old AFL player going around, we’ll see where the teenage Fremantle draftee turned Brisbane Brownlow Medallist ranks with the game’s all-time greats at the same point in their career.

Neale hits 30 with a career record of 230 games, 6277 possessions, 113 goals and 156 Brownlow Medal votes, plus any votes he may earn in the first 10 weeks of this season.

There’s nothing ultra special about 230 games. It’s inside the top 100 all-time but is a long way short of the all-time AFL record of 279 games, held by ex-Essendon champion Simon Madden, and his nearest challengers – St.Kilda/Hawthorn utility Russell Greene (277), Adelaide’s Ben Hart (274), Essendon’s Tim Watson (273), Western Bulldogs’ Chis Grant (273) and Adelaide’s Mark Riccuito (273).

But 6277 possessions is more than special. It’s elite, ranking seventh-best all-time behind Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury (6664), St.Kilda’s Robert Harvey (6642), Geelong’s Joel Selwood (6615), Geelong/Gold Coast champion Gary Ablett Jnr (6453), West Coast’s Andrew Gaff (6440) and Richmond’s Dustin Martin (6400).

On a possessions per game basis it is better than each of these six players, who played more games prior to turning 30. Neale averages 27.29ppg to head Harvey (27.11), Gaff (26.50), Pendlebury (26.44), Selwood (25.64), Martin (24.90) and Ablett (24.82).

And in the all-time top 100 possession-winners who were still playing at 30 only three players have averaged more than Neale – Sydney/Carlton Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams (28.22), current Bulldogs player Adam Treloar (27.55) and ex-Melbourne/Adelaide midfielder Scott Thompson (27.31).

Neale’s pre-30 Brownlow vote tally is also elite. He definitely ranks top 10, and 10 votes in the first 10 rounds this year would jump him to seventh all-time.

This list is headed by current Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield (209), Carlton/West Coast Brownlow Medallist Chris Judd (202), Ablett (201), Martin (197), Fremantle dual Brownlow winner Nat Fyfe (187) and Selwood (186).

Pendlebury had 165 votes prior to his 30^th birthday, Robert Harvey 157 and ex-Fitzroy champion Garry Wilson between 153-161. His exact figure is unknown because he played in an era when votes were not made public on a game by game basis. He had 153 votes to the end of 1982, and received eight more in 1983, when he turned 30 in July.

In the corresponding Brisbane-only statistics, Marcus Ashcroft has played most games for the club at the time of his 30^th birthday,  Michael Voss heads the possession count, Jonathan Brown leads the goal tally and Simon Black edges out Voss for most Brownlow votes.

If Neale had the same statistics and had played only for Brisbane he would rank eighth for games played prior to his 30^th birthday, and would be a clear leader for possessions and Brownlow votes.

At Fitzroy, Paul Roos played most games before his 30^th birthday, Team of the Century full forward Jack Moriarty topped the goal-kicking and Garry Wilson was #1 for possessions and Brownlow Medal votes.

(table follows)