Matt Kreuzer may be a man of few words - but amid the recent hysteria the Carlton ruckman couldn’t be more succinct.

“I’m going nowhere,” said the man who still has two years of an existing three-year contract to run.

“I love the club, I’ve played here for my whole career so far and I’d like to keep it that way.”

While the finger’s been publicly pointed at the No.1 draftee of late, the modest big man in the No.8 guernsey doesn’t let the unwarranted attention faze him.

“You laugh it off,” was his take on the recent external criticism. “You can’t control what goes on outside, so all you can do is try to play competitive footy each week and take it from there.”

Staffers employed at Visy Park through 2007 well remember peering out of their office windows of a Thursday night and seeing the lanky kid from Watsonia training with Northern Knights. Only seems like yesterday he was taken with Carlton’s priority selection (No.1 overall) in the 2007 national draft.

But Kreuzer, at 24, is already mindful of his own football mortality, having already had to deal with hip and knee problems.

“It’s been challenging,” he said of the first 99 games. “The first 56 games were good, didn’t miss one, and then I’ve been a little bit up and down since then. But I’ve loved running out each week and hopefully there’s a few more games left to go.”

On the eve of his 100^th senior appearance, against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, “Big Kreuze” has bigger fish to fry. Governing his thoughts is the likely contest with Ben McEvoy and what happens at and after the first bounce.

But for a brief moment at Visy Park this week he took time out to reflect on the first six seasons since his much-publicised drafting.

For starters, the No.8 means much to him. It was the number worn by his predecessor Lance Whitnall, who with fellow 100-gamers Wayne Blackwell and the dual premiership player Trevor Keogh shares space on his locker.

“There were a few numbers up for grabs at the time, but that (No.8) was the lowest one there and it’s a great number,” Kreuzer said.

“Obviously Lance played at the Northern Knights as well and he’s from out that way . . . it’ll be a real honour to get my name up there with him and hopefully somebody else from the area can claim it after me.”

Then there’s the first of Kreuzer’s 99 senior games, which came in the third round of 2008 on an autumn Saturday evening against Essendon at the MCG.

Regrettably the good guys lost, but the debutant booted two goals including one with his first kick, on a night in which Brendan Fevola banged through a lazy eight - “and that was a good experience, something I’ll keep for the rest of my life”.

A Morrish Medallist and All-Australian Teal Cup rep in his callow youth, Kreuzer not surprisingly took out Carlton’s Best First Year Player award then followed up with top ten placings in the best and fairest counts of 2009 and ’12 - and he’s been around long enough now to know whether he considers himself a ruckman who goes forward or a forward who occasionally rucks.

“I’m probably a bit of both,” came the reply. “The way footy’s going you’ve got to be able to play a couple of positions.

“The game’s changed a fair bit compared to when I started – there’s the tempo of the game and how quick it’s getting, and then there’s the interchange – four then as compared to three and a sub now. I think that makes it a bit more difficult as a ruckman because you used to get more rest on the bench, whereas now you ‘rest’ forward, which is more of a challenge.

“But it’s good to be out there and you want to be out there as much as you can.”

Kreuzer unhesitatingly declares Chris Judd as the best Carlton player seen in his time at the place “for the way he goes about it on the field and off it” and he nominates West Coast ruckman Dean Cox as his greatest opponent based on his presence in the play.

He also cites ruck coach Matthew Capuano as a significant influence in his time at Carlton.

While he’s always looking forward, Kreuzer’s never lost sight of where he’s been. He cherishes his individual and team successes as a junior footballer in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and he is forever grateful to his parents who remain constant regulars in the Carlton rooms post-match.

“Mum and Dad have been a great support over my whole journey – taking me to training and to games when I was younger and even being there now to lend their support. They’ve been fantastic,” Kreuzer said.

When Matthew Kreuzer breaks the 100-game banner on Saturday night, he becomes Carlton’s 164^th centurion. He also becomes this club’s third No.1 draftee behind Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs to achieve that feat, co-incidentally at the same venue.

It will have taken him five years and 68 days to get there . . . and “Big Kreuze” knows nothing comes easy . . . but he genuinely looks forward to game No.100 and beyond for both player and for club.

And five years from now, when he reflects on the next phase of his playing career, what does he hope to have achieved?

“A premiership would be nice,” came the reply. “Seeing the club have success and still playing consistent footy for Carlton would be the ultimate goal.”