The Blackwood Football Club would like to congratulate Mark Reynolds who plays his 150th senior match in the red and the green this weekend. Speaking at training, Reynolds said it meant a lot to him reach the milestone. “The club has such a long history. It is a very proud club with great people and a great supporter base. It’s such an enjoyable place to be at and I am honoured to play so many games.”

The dashing left footed Reynolds played junior football at the Woods being a graduate of the 2008 senior colt group. Making his senior debut in 2009, he played 18 B Grade matches kicking 20 goals. Following that initial season, Reynolds had to bide his time in the B and C Grade for two further seasons. In 2011, he was initially selected in the team to play C Grade Grand Final before a withdrawal from the B Grade on Friday afternoon saw him move up and miss the Grand Final.

The following year in 2012 he made his A Grade debut in Round 3 against Torrens Valley with the side losing by nine points in a close game. Since that initial A Grade game, he has played a total 87 A Grade matches including the drought breaking 2017 premiership.

“I am really proud of the fact that I have had to play every grade across the years and work my way into the A Grade. For it all to culminate in the 2017 A Grade premiership is such a great moment for me. The amount of work that everyone put in was enormous and it was a well-deserved reward. To see to emotions of every player, coach and supporter of the club after the match is something I will never forget. It was great to be able to be a part of it.”

Across the 149 senior matches to date, Reynolds has a winning percentage of 58.4 percent, has kicked 109 goals (0.73 per match) and been named in the better players on 20 occasions (13.4 percent). The largest victory he has played in occurred in Round 18 of 2011 when the B Grade defeated Bridgewater by 186 points with Reynolds being named best player on the ground.

When asked about the people who have greatly influenced him during this time at the Woods, Reynolds said there were just so many people he could mention. “The club is full of great people there are so many I could mention. Paul Magarey is one as he was a mentor when I first started playing. Brad Jones is another as we went to school together and have played together since 2005, to achieve the ultimate success together in 2017 was such a special moment. Lucas Herbert is another as he is someone that I’ve always listened to and he has always been a good support. The list could just continue to go on forever.”

As for the future, Reynolds said he intends to finish as a one club player. “I’d love to finish my career at the Woods. I look forward to continue to playing for as long as I can and to achieve more success in the future.”

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