Collingwood coach Craig McRae has all but admitted Jack Crisp played through COVID-19 on his way to breaking the all time VFL/AFL consecutive games record this weekend.

The Magpies line-breaker last week drew level with Melbourne legend Jim Stynes with a record-equalling 244th consecutive game, a streak that dates all the way back to Crisp’s final year at Brisbane in 2014.

To get there, he has defied inevitable injury, unavailability, and illness — the latter at one point having come very close to derailing his run, McRae has revealed.

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Asked if he had ever been worried Crisp might miss a game due to injury during his tenure as coach, a coy McRae said illness was more of a threat.

“He had a couple of (close calls),” McRae said, before having reporters read between the lines of a cheeky next few selectively chosen words.

“I know at one stage he might have had symptoms of COVID, but maybe he didn’t have COVID... maybe. He might have... but he didn’t...”

Explaining how Crisp has managed to make it this far, McRae said there has been some key criteria.

“You’ve got to be able to play injured — you have to, because the game will ask that of you,” McRae said.

“And then, funnily enough, he doesn’t miss any sessions either. There’s an incredible desire to prepare like a professional athlete.

“He doesn’t miss too many sessions, and he’s a high performer. Remarkable.”

McRae has been in touch with Sam Stynes — widow to the late Jim — who has agreed to come into the club to help celebrate Crisp’s milestone.

“I was lucky enough to chat to Sam Stynes last night, and we’re going to get Sam in to celebrate Jim, and show the incredible longevity of his career, but also what he did for so many of us in the game, and then show some footage of Jim in his heyday, and get Sam to take us into a little bit of his world,” he said.

“And then we’ll celebrate Jack.

“It’s a massive achievement to be able to play that many games in a row, and we’ll make sure we’ll celebrate that appropriately.”

The 2023 premiership coach said it’s important to celebrate these kinds of achievements along the way.

“We just want to acknowledge it and, as we do with most milestones, we step in and we have the families in,” McRae said.

“We celebrate these things because on our journey of trying to reach the highest of the mountain, we want to appreciate the journey we’re on.”