Tom Lonergan speaks to 3AW after improbably reaching his 200th game

Geelong defender Tom Lonergan is lucky to have played eight games, let alone 200.

Lonergan lost a kidney in a heavy collision in his seventh game, and nearly lost a lot more than his career.

The courageous Cat returned to the field after more than a year and, nine years later, he has now played 200 games.

Lonergan told 3AW the incident “woke him up”.

“I realised how quickly footy can be taken away – and life as well,” he said.

• Jimmy Bartel: Lonergan is one of the most-loved teammates

But with the milestone now in the book, Lonergan said he’s looking forward to returning to the background.

“I’m getting a bit over hearing about myself,” he said.

Click PLAY above to hear the full interview