Kristian Dacey admits it will be an honour to make his 150th Cardiff Blues appearance against Munster at Irish Independent Park on Friday.
The Welsh international hooker, who will become the 12th player to hit the milestone in the regional era, has stood-in as captain of the region this season, in the absence of Ellis Jenkins, who suffered a long-term injury in November.
The academy product, who penned a new deal with the region earlier this month, says the Blues remains close to his heart and is delighted to join an elite club of players with his latest milestone.
"It’s a massive honour. As a kid it’s all about playing your first professional game, and I did that against Connacht back in 2010," said Dacey.
"Playing for the region has been massive for me and my family, and it will be another proud moment when I step out on the field for my 150th on Friday.
"The honour of captaining the side makes it extra special and will really add to the occasion.
"You don’t see people hitting 150 very often in the modern game as people tend to move on to different clubs.
"But these are the club that gave me my opportunity and gave me the chance to move from back row to hooker. It’s nice to hit this latest milestone and also commit to stay here for the next few years."
With three games remaining, Cardiff Blues hope to remain in the race to qualify for the Guinness PRO14 quarter final for the first time, and are currently neck-and-neck with Connacht in Conference A.
Dacey has been encouraged by this special group of players and believes they play their best with a smile on their faces.
The hooker said: "We have the potential to do something special this season and that will come down to us as a group of players.
"When I started, we had boys like Paul Tito, Xavier Rush and the other big dogs around, but then went through a few seasons without them and struggled.
"But we’ve come out on the other end and we are now a team who can compete with anyone. These next three games are knockout rugby for us.
"It’s important that we go out there and express ourselves and we need to play with a smile on our faces. I’m sure the results will follow.
"We play the game because we enjoy it and once the enjoyment goes, that’s when you have people who don’t want to be there.
"The captaincy is a different role and is something you have to get used to and luckily we have some quality staff and players around the building who have been in the position before and are willing to help on a day-to-day basis.
"I’ve always been a player who likes to go out on the pitch and lead from the front. So I’ll go out there to do my job and make the decisions when they need to be made."