IT’S A milestone he never thought he'd reach, but tough nut Brodie Holland is set to play his 150th league game this weekend when the Magpies take on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.

Holland started his somewhat tumultuous career at Fremantle after being drafted by that club in 1997. He made the move to Collingwood via a trade in 2000.

While pleased to reach the 150-game mark, the hardened midfielder conceded he would have played his milestone match last season had it not been for undisciplined incidents robbing him of selection opportunities throughout his career.

"When I first started, I thought if I could get 100 games out of AFL, I would be happy," Holland said on Wednesday.

"To get to 150 is just an extra bonus. I suppose you could look at it if I hadn't been suspended, I could probably be on 200 games today.

"In your first season, you just want to play a couple of games and it's all you really look at. You don't really have any goals as such because you don't know how good you're going to be or where it's going to go.

"About three years into my career, I thought it could end at any time soon, so I had to pull my finger out and make sure I did everything right, and I'm happy enough to be on 150 games now."

Holland has been suspended for 16 games for transgressions including striking, attempted striking, rough conduct and unnecessary foot contact. He has been fined more than $9000 for wrestling/melee offences, and once for making contact with an umpire.

The durable midfielder said he tried to keep his chequered record from affecting his tough style of play.

"It does hang over you and it is in the back of your mind, but you don't go out there to think solely, "I can't do this, I can't do that," he said.

"You've still got to play the aggressive footy and just play the ball. If anyone tries to rev you up, then you've just really got to laugh at it and just play the footy.

"That's all I can do now, to make sure I do the right thing on the field by the boys and just play the ball."

Holland was unavailable for selection for the first six rounds of the season due to a suspension handed down for an incident involving Bulldog Brett Montgomery in last year's elimination final.

Having played just two games in 2007, Holland said he was gradually being slotted back into the run-with role he was used to employing. With his fitness continually on the up, he predicted his tagging days were not too far away.

"I think Mick (Malthouse) has eased me into it a little bit, coming off having not played for eight and a half months and coming straight back in," he said.

"He could have easily played me at Williamstown but he thought I was fit enough and ready to play first up."I played probably 60 per cent of the games in my first two hit-outs, and I'm looking to expand that this week and beyond.

"I'll be looking to play that accountable role and play on a dangerous midfielder. As the games progress and I get into the sixth, seventh, eighth game for the year, then I'll start to play that role a bit more frequently."