St Kilda star Bradley Hill respects Chad Wingard’s media ban and calls for an end to racism
They’re the images of chaos that have struck the world and St Kilda star and proud indigenous man Bradley Hill admits the scenes in the US “hit you at the heart” as he speaks on the protests and racism.
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St Kilda star Bradley Hill says the chaotic scenes taking hold of America have hit close to home.
But while the proud Noongar man believes Australia is making the necessary strides towards being rid of racism, he admits there is still a way to go.
As Hawthorn forward Chad Wingard expressed his anger at what has occurred across the United States in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd and the subsequent coverage of protests across the country.
Wingard, 26, has declared that “I don’t trust our media anymore” and will not “be doing any interviews I’m not contracted to do”, with the club understanding of his choice.
Hill said that he respected Wingard’s move, and admitted that the situation had been difficult to watch unfold.
“At the end of the day, you have your own decision, and if that’s what Chad wants to do, I respect his decision and I can’t do nothing about it. That’s the way he feels and that’s his own opinion,” Hill said.
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“It is pretty bad what’s going on over there. It is a different part of the world and there is a lot of stuff going on and it does affect people. It’s pretty bad what’s going on.
“It’s not blacks versus whites, it’s everyone else versus racism. It’s something that’s getting better over here, but there’s still stuff that does go on, and hopefully it can get better.”
Hill, who was traded to St Kilda at the end of last season, said that it “is pretty sad” and that he had been particularly struck by some of the images.
“Some of the stuff you do watch, it does hit you at the heart sometimes and it’s not the greatest thing you want to see,” he said.
“There’s so much media and cameras and phones and you see this stuff – it is pretty sad.”
The former Hawk backed the likes of ex-teammate Shaun Burgoyne and Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson to support Wingard.
RATTEN GIVES SAINTS FREEDOM TO PLAY ON INSTINCT
Freedom will be one of St Kilda’s key licences for footy’s reboot, star Saint Bradley Hill has declared, with the Brett Ratten-led crew given sovereignty to embrace their strengths.
Hill, who has been allowed off the chain to utilise his quick feet and ability with the ball, said creativity to excite and play on instinct had been a luxury afforded to all Saints as they look to rebound from their Round 1 loss to North Melbourne.
And it has been welcomed.
“You could ask nearly every player here about the freedom that Ratts gives you as players,” Hill said.
“He wants you to go out there and play on instinct and play the way you play.
“That’s the good thing about Ratts. He wants us to take the game on and play to our strengths. I’m really looking forward to getting out there.”
The former Docker said that ex-coach Ross Lyon had afforded him a similar allowance, but having it extended to all of his teammates was a difference he relished.
“When I was at Hawthorn, there was too many stars there, so I just gave it to (Sam) Mitchell and (Jordan) Lewis and those sorts of boys,” Hill laughed.
“I have had it a little bit when I was at Freo but here, Ratts has given that freedom to everyone to play to their strengths, which is a good thing.”
Rather than feeling pressure to provide the ball movement and speed that was a key reason for the Saints’ push to get the ballwinner to Moorabbin, Hill said he felt “confident that I can go out there and perform”.
Two months away from the club had is challenges before the last fortnight of training resuming, Hill admitted, with former teammate Nat Fyfe expressing his concern that his team’s game plans could regress as a result of the shutdown.
But Hill backed the Saints’ ability to retain amid somewhat of a cramming period before next week’s restart.
“I get where he’s coming from,” he said.
“You have your team meetings and you’re doing a lot of stuff on Zoom and whatnot, but we did have a big period of the pre-season of three or four months where we spoke about it and we tried our best to have a midfield, forwards and backs meeting once a week over the (hiatus) period so we still know what we’re doing.
“In the last couple of weeks that we’ve been here, we’ve been focusing on all those sorts of things and the way we want to play footy. It is obviously going to be a little bit different to what you would normally have with meetings and playing games and knowing what you’re not doing right.
“It is going to be a bit of a challenge, but we should be fine.”
Hill will represent St Kilda in Monday’s Big Freeze event in support of FightMND, revealing his teammates had assisted in executing an on-trend costume for the icy slide.
But he revealed he faced a unique challenge in taking the plunge.
“I’m allergic to the cold — I take antihistamine every day,” Hill said.
“I wasn’t actually too bad the day I jumped in the ice water, but it was pretty cold.
“I get a really red face and my fingers swell up and stuff. It’s weird. When I never used to take them (the tablets), I used to get really bad. Even when I jump into the ice baths, the grass, the cold weather (I get it).”
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Originally published as St Kilda star Bradley Hill respects Chad Wingard’s media ban and calls for an end to racism