Parramatta captain Nathan Hindmarsh set to complete 10,000 Tackles
NEARLY 9000 men have worn a first-grade jersey since rugby league kicked off more than a century ago.
But only one man has made enough tackles to collar them all - and then some.
In an amazing testament to his physical endurance, Parramatta warhorse Nathan Hindmarsh is set to become the first player in the code's history to complete 10,000 career tackles.
The tireless Eels skipper needs to topple just 16 Rabbitohs on Friday night to reach the unprecedented milestone.
Another typically robust defensive effort of 54 tackles last weekend brought Hindmarsh's tally to 9984 - comfortably in excess of the 8979 players who've made grade since 1908. It's also five times the population of his Southern Highlands home town, Robertson.
And when the average G-force of each tackle is combined, it's the equivalent of being shot by three separate bullets from a handgun.
Hindmarsh however simply shrugged off the feat as a consequence of his "job for the footy team".
"I had no idea ... no idea whatsoever," he said.
"I didn't even know they kept these sorts of records for so long. But to me it doesn't mean anything - it's not about the milestones, it's just part of my job for the footy team. Plus I don't think I've ever hurt anyone.
"The boys are going to give me crap and say that of the 10,000 tackles I've made, 9000 have been flops."
Sports scientists who have marvelled at Hindmarsh's unique physical qualities say otherwise. Associate professor of sport and exercise science at UTS, Dr Aaron Coutte, tested Hindmarsh a few seasons ago and was gobsmacked by the forward's anaerobic capacity.
In a 30-minute treadmill drill designed to replicate the most exacting period of a game, Hindmarsh pushed through lactate levels five times higher than the average athlete usually fatigues at.
Dr Coutte had worked with English Premier League and AFL powerhouses, but until then had never seen a footballer with such endurance.
And he hasn't since.
"There's something genetic that makes Hindy able to produce a lot of lactate, but also transfer it from his muscles to his blood," Dr Coutte said. "I've never seen anything like it."
Hindmarsh still remembers that day in the UTS gym, but believes that tackling is more about attitude than academics.
"I just go out there and do what I can for as long as I can," he said.
Fox Sports Stats show the 31-year-old's workload has soared in the second half of his career, from fewer than 29 tackles a game to over 40.
