Kiewa-Sandy Creek's Jason Bartel plays 200th senior game with his young family watching on

The small forward was chaired off the ground by his team-mates after kicking three goals to help the Hawks win away to Barnawartha on Saturday.

But there was more to come inside the rooms as Bartel's mum presented him with a football before the four-time premiership player joined partner Ash and baby daughter Alba to celebrate the milestone.

"To have the family here, for Mum to present the ball at the end and have my fiancee and daughter here, it was a very special moment," Bartel said.

"Ash has been massive for me. We've got a five-month-old and it was pretty tough going at the start. I play cricket as well so for her to take Alba on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, she's been huge. I can't thank her enough for allowing me to play sport.

"Becoming a dad is life-changing, it's so rewarding. It's challenging and frustrating at times but the reward far outweighs the negatives.

"We'll look back on these photos (together when Alba grows up). It's hard to not get a little bit choked up about it. It means a lot."

Hawks coach Adam Mudra was full of praise for the man who has been named KSC best-and-fairest four times.

"Sometimes you can get lost in the 200 games and the individual accolades," Mudra said. "They will tell you how good a footballer he is on the field but he's an even better person off the field.

"Jase plays exceptionally well in big games. He's played in four premierships at our football club and he's been in the best players in every game. That says a fair bit about the way he approaches the game and how invested he is into our football club.

"That doesn't just happen, it's on the back of having a genuine passion and genuine love for not only the club but the people within it."

Bartel, ever the team man, was thrilled to mark his big day by finishing on the winning side.

"It's six years since we've beaten Barny down here and I think it was my 100th game that day," he said. "It's definitely been a long time between drinks so it was nice to get the result.

"I didn't want to get chaired off. It was a bit embarrassing to be honest.

"But it's huge (the milestone at Hawks). I grew up playing there as a junior, went into town to test myself for a little bit and then to come back and play at your home club, 200 games, it's a really special moment.

"You play for flags, you always want to win flags, it's a great feeling and that's what motivates me."

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So can Bartel now press on towards 300 games?

"The body feels good at the moment so I'll just see what happens, week to week," he said. "I don't want to put a jinx on myself.

"I'm definitely spending a lot more time forward than what I did. I used to play midfield predominantly but that obviously comes with age.

"Some weeks it's really good, other times it can be a little bit frustrating but so far, so good."

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