Bradley Hill stars as St Kilda kicks off new era with pre-season win
It might only be one pre-season game but there are plenty of positive vibes coming out of St Kilda. From Bradley Hill’s dominant debut to the buzz around Max King, get the lowdown on the Saints’ win over Hawthorn.
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The new era at St Kilda has dawned on its old stage.
And a former Hawk who came to Moorabbin via Fremantle was the protagonist.
Bradley Hill came with a lot of promises.
Of electric pace, blistering skills.
It was a lot to live up to, but if that was his audition, the main event could well be something exciting.
He delivered on his CV – resplendent with three Hawks premierships already - in his first outing in red, white and black on Thursday night as the Saints defeated Hawthorn by 21 points.
From Hunter Clark – another preseason stronger – at half-back, to Hill through the middle in almost every chain into attack, at times to prodigious forward Max King up forward.
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“I like to kick in and hit up the forwards, and once you’ve been training with these blokes for a little while, you start jelling with them and I felt that was one of my strengths,” Hill said on Fox Footy.
“Hopefully I can bring that throughout the year.”
Change is evident and it is having an impact.
The “old” faces were refreshed and in renewed roles as Jade Gresham buzzed through the midfield and won nine clearances, while Tim Membrey dominated in the forward line.
They were split open by the Hawks at times – there’s experience there with the likes of Tom Scully, Isaac Smith and Jaeger O’Meara, in what evolved into a fast-paced bayside shootout with all the physicality of the football formerly hosted at the historic ground.
No one is all-in at this time of year, but the pot looks healthy for both outfits.
INJURY BLOW
Hawthorn hearts were in mouths in the opening seconds of the preseason competition but star tall Ben McEvoy has dodged a bullet.
The 30-year-old - who appears set for a role in defence this season - hobbled from RSEA Park in Moorabbin within the first two minutes of the game and did not feature again, but coach Alastair Clarkson confirmed that the swift diagnosis was a corkie to his right leg.
“He was pretty stiff in his first contest of the game he went to, he gets a corkie,” Clarkson said.
“It bled pretty heavily, so he might miss a week, I’m not sure.
“The docs will have (a look) at it and we won’t take any risks. He’ll get that right and it’s bad enough for him not to be able to return to the game.”
Clarkson said losing McEvoy with backman James Sicily - who sat out the match with a bruised heel - was a blow they didn’t need.
“That hurt us a little bit. He and Sicily are our best intercept markers and organisers behind the ball for us, and Sic has just got a bit of a sore heel so we didn’t want to take a risk with him and then ‘Big Boy’ (McEvoy) gets hurt,” he said.
“That unsettled our balance a little bit, but outside of that, by and large all you’re searching for is to give yourself a chance to play against an opposition and see some of your patterns.
“Some of it was good tonight and some of it was pretty scratchy, which you’d expect.”
BELONGS IN THE ‘BURBS
It’s the peoples’ preseason.
They flocked along the footpaths and flooded the side streets for the time-honoured pilgrimage to Moorabbin.
The Saints’ last game for premiership points at the ground was 10,064 days ago – an August day in 1992 when many players on the ground Thursday night weren’t even born.
And it didn’t disappoint. The gates were shut in the second half and the final crowd deemed to be 8187.
Portables were brought in to account for vision – and broadcast – standards, while a ripple was sent through the ground in the third term.
“They’ve run out of beer!,” the texts exclaimed.
Imagine that in the animal enclosure days.
But after a few “runs” to replenish the stock, the faithful – including former Saints Nicky Winmar and David Armitage - were kept at ease both on and off the field and were happy with what they saw.
It’s not stadium type stuff. But they made it work.
It’s where the preseason belongs.
LIKE NEW RECRUITS
Was Tom Mitchell ever out? It didn’t seem like it.
He might have missed the entirety of his Brownlow defence season in 2019 after a broken leg but the star midfielder is right back at home.
His first possession came within seconds and he was barreled to the turf in a bit of a welcome back, while Jon Patton – who has not played a senior game since Round 15, 2018, against the Hawks, no less, when he was a Giant – looked dangerous with three goals.
Mitchell sat out most of the final term but said he was feeling strong.
“Hit a few bodies and pulled up fine from a few big collisions, so got through the game unscathed and that’s the main thing,” he said.
KING OF THE HILL
The “grandstand” side rose as Max King – in Nick Riewoldt’s famed No. 12 – clunked a mark in the first term.
He hit the post but booted a goal soon after to settle the nerves as he eyes a Round 1 berth.
“That’s a goal of mine – just to play as much footy as I can,” he said on Fox Footy.
“Hopefully the body pulls up well and all is good.”
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ST KILDA: Membrey, Hill, Ross, Gresham, Lonie, Dunstan
HAWTHORN: Mitchell, Scully, Smith, Patton, Breust, Worpel
Originally published as Bradley Hill stars as St Kilda kicks off new era with pre-season win