Cronulla iron man Blayke Brailey feels he owes it to injury-plagued brother Jayden to ensure the family name is on the Sharks' team sheet every week.
The qualifying final against Melbourne this Saturday will mark Brailey's 101st consecutive NRL game, a streak that predates coach Craig Fitzgibbon and captain Cam McInnes' arrivals at the club by more than a year.
Brailey's remarkable run is still short of Luke Douglas's NRL record of 215, though it would span 120 games to round one of 2020 had the hooker not been rested from the last game of that year's regular season.
"Definitely a bit of luck is involved," Brailey told AAP of his durability.
"NRL is a tough game and being in the middle is no easy feat. I don't know if my calm nature makes things a bit easier.
"I'm never really too sore, which is great, but I definitely think the players around me make my job a lot easier."
Brailey's charmed run comes in direct contrast to his brother Jayden, who has endured a wretched string of injuries since moving to Newcastle from the Sharks at the end of 2019.
This year is only the second in five seasons as Knights hooker that Brailey has played more than eight games, scuppered by two separate anterior cruciate ligament injuries and an Achilles tendon issue.
"Every time he goes down it's always a pretty heartbreaking time for me and my family," Blayke said.
The Sharks granted Jayden a release from his Sharks deal at the end of 2019, shortly after earmarking Blayke as their long-time hooker by signing him to a contract extension.
The pair have remained close since Jayden's move to the Knights, talking most days and offering each other football advice.
"He's another factor why I want to play every game," Blayke said.
"He obviously had that number nine jersey and once he left I've wanted to make sure the Brailey name is still in that number nine.
"He's another factor why I try to push through the pain and push through week in week out to make sure I get that number nine jersey."
Brailey has played every game for the Knights since returning from his long-term knee injury in round three and could meet his brother in the finals series pending this weekend's results.
If they lose to minor premiers Melbourne at AAMI Park, the Sharks will be relegated to a sudden-death semi-final and face the winner of Newcastle's clash against North Queensland.
"They got them down there earlier in the year, though," Jayden told AAP, referencing the Sharks' upset defeat of the Storm in May.
"I'll just focus on the Cowboys, but if we end up going back down there (to play the Sharks), that'd be pretty cool too."
