Jack Hellier was surprised to be invited to try out for a place in Collingwood’s VFL squad in late 2011.

He was surprised to make the cut, then surprised when he managed to play 50 VFL games over the next four seasons.

So, the 29-year-old tradesman can hardly believe his luck that on Sunday he will make his 100^th VFL appearance for the Magpies when they host Richmond in a local derby at Victoria Park.

“It’s something that’s pretty unbelievable,” Hellier told Collingwood Media.

Hellier grew up in Melbourne’s south-east and during his teenage years played school footy for Haileybury College and in the TAC Cup with the Sandringham Dragons.

However, it wasn’t until after he left school that he came to the attention of the Collingwood VFL scouts.

By then he had strung together a number of impressive seasons with St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers in the Victorian Amateur Football Association.

He played in the Tigers’ B Grade premiership in 2007 and the club’s A Grade flag the following year, triumphs that came under the coaching of Luke Beveridge, the man these days at the helm of the Western Bulldogs.

Hellier loved playing under Beveridge.

“He was just one of those coaches where everyone trusted what he was doing and you really wanted to play for him,” Hellier said.

“The biggest key to our group was we were such a unit. We were hard to break.

“Everyone was best mates with each other and we wanted to do everything we could to play for each other and Bevo.

“It was pretty awesome.”

Luke Beveridge and Jack Hellier after a representative game against an Irish team in Ireland in 2011

The admiration went both ways. A recommendation from Beveridge, who had worked as a player development manager at Collingwood in 2009 and 2010, was part of the reason that the Pies invited Hellier to try out for their VFL squad.

Not that Hellier had high hopes of making the grade.

“I was just going down there to test the waters and see how I went,” he said.

After winning a place on the list – “I was bloody pumped about that” – Hellier made his VFL debut against the Northern Blues in round four, 2012.

But his season soon came to an end after he suffered a shoulder injury that required reconstructive surgery.

Still, Hellier had done enough to win a spot on the list for 2013. And he was delighted when the club not only appointed a new coach, Dale Tapping, but moved to more closely align the VFL and AFL programs.

“When I first got to Collingwood it was really segregated in terms of the AFL and VFL programs,” Hellier recalled.

“I found it really hard in my first year and it wasn’t one of my favourite years of football.

“When Dale came over as coach, he really pushed for closer ties between the VFL and AFL teams, which was something I was really pushing for as well.

“I was driven to make sure the feeling around the place was more like what I had experienced at St Bede’s.”

Hellier, then 24, made a big impression on Tapping during their first pre-season together. When Kris Pendlebury defected to Werribee on the eve of the Pies’ 2013 campaign, Tapping appointed him co-captain with Nick Riddle.

Being propelled into a leadership role was a shock, but Hellier felt he had plenty of knowledge to call upon after playing alongside some great leaders in various VAFA representative teams.

“Those sides are filled with good blokes and people with great leadership skills, so I probably felt comfortable enough to lead the side, although it took me a while to get my head around it,” he said.

As it turned out, Hellier revelled in the leadership role.

He took his game to a new level, racking up 20 or more disposals in seven matches and saving his best performance for the elimination final against Port Melbourne.

Although Collingwood lost the game by 25 points, Hellier walked off the field with 22 disposals and four clearances to his name and the knowledge that he had given his all.

In the ensuing weeks he was named on the interchange bench in the VFL Team of the Year and finished fifth in the Pies’ VFL best and fairest.

A number of players have followed a similar path all the way to the AFL, but Hellier was comfortable with where he was at.

“I just wanted to make my way in the VFL,” he reflected. “In 2013 I realised that AFL wasn’t my go and I was happy and content with playing in the VFL.

“Even through TAC Cup, I never really saw myself playing in the AFL. I just wanted to play at the highest level I could, and that has turned out to be the VFL.”

Hellier notched up 50 games in 2015. The following year, he achieved a degree of fame – in VFL circles at least – when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the latter part of the home and away season but still managed to lead the Magpies through the finals.

“Have you seen the size of his legs, those big trunks?” was the response of Collingwood VFL coach Jared Rivers when asked how Hellier could have carried such an injury.

“He’s rock-solid. And he’s a guy who’s so passionate about the footy club.

“To play through that just shows the type of bloke he is and the character he brings to our program.”

Jack Hellier celebrates kicking a goal in the 2015 semi-final against Sandringham (AFL Photos)

A bubbly yet humble character, Hellier isn’t one for pumping up his own performances.

He lists his personal highlight from his time at Collingwood as lining up alongside some of the big-name AFL players when they have made rare appearances in the VFL.

“I played a couple of VFL games with Dale Thomas and Alan Didak,” he said. “Nick Maxwell played a game with us at one stage.

“And I’ve loved playing with all the VFL-listed players. I’ve made some great friendships with them along the way.”

Known around the club as the quintessential ‘good bloke’, Hellier’s leadership style is about encouraging those around him to enjoy their footy, whether they are playing before a handful of people at the Holden Centre or in front of a packed house at the MCG.

“The main thing that I try to push is that I’m a bit of a clown and like to muck around a bit, so I try and make sure the young boys are having fun,” he said.

Rivers loves the way Hellier goes about his business.

“He’s a person everyone wants to be around,” Rivers said. “He brings excitement and fun to training.

“As we know, in wintertime it can be hard to get everyone up and about. But he’s got that great personality that everyone loves and respects.

“It makes my job as coach a lot easier when you’ve got a captain like Jack.”

Hellier has been lucky enough to play in the finals in each of his seasons with Collingwood.

He is yet to play in a VFL Grand Final but, with the Pies sitting pretty in second position on the ladder after eight rounds, he is confident that it might be on the cards this September.

“I definitely reckon we can win the flag,” he said. “It was evident back in pre-season. You could tell we had a great vibe going.

“There are such great friendship groups inside the team. Even though we’re young, I think we can give it a big shake this year, which is exciting.”

For now, Hellier is focussing on Sunday’s clash with Richmond.

His pride will be obvious for everyone to see when he leads his team on to the field at Collingwood’s spiritual home and brings up a milestone rarely achieved in the current incarnation of the VFL.

“I think the best part about playing 100 games has been the opportunity to build relationships and friendships with everyone from the media to my coaches and teammates and the volunteers who help out every week,” Hellier said.

“I guess it’s something that I will always look back on. I think it’s a pretty good feather in my cap.”