Rising star Hunter Clark is ready to follow the advice of new coach Brett Ratten
New coach Brett Ratten had some inspiring advice for St Kilda’s youngest players during the week. And rising star Hunter Clark took in every single word. Now he plans to act on them.
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St Kilda midfielder Hunter Clark has pledged to honour Brett Ratten’s call to arms to the club’s young core to push senior players out of their spots next season.
Clark is one of a handful of young top-10 picks at St Kilda who should form the nucleus of the club’s rise up the ladder after flashes of brilliance in his 29 games so far.
Ratten told the club’s 20-plus one-to-four year players this week it was “time for you to make your run”, adamant they should blow away the senior players with their attitude when they returned to training.
The No. 7 pick from the 2017 national draft was dropped twice in a frustrating start to 2019 but played the best footy of his career in an 11-game patch to finish the year.
His best has been breathtaking but the 20-year-old said he was determined to heed Ratten’s call with so much talent coming into the club in the off-season.
“It was great. On our last day last year when we had our exit interviews (Ratten) kind of said a similar thing. He reiterated it on Wednesday, which gives us a lot of belief.
“A lot of the growth of this team will come from the boys back at training now. There are 20-odd of us and he gives us the belief we can contribute to the team straight away.
“We have brought new players in and it’s tight for spots. Everyone wants to play.
“There are five new guys and then Gears (Jarryn Geary), Dylan Roberton, Jimmy Webster back from injury so it’s potentially eight or nine guys we didn’t have in the last round who are in the Round 1 team.
“It’s potentially going to be really tough for spots.”
Clark credits VFL coach Aaron Hamill for kickstarting his mid-season form surge, admitting he had taken some time to hit his straps after an encouraging debut season.
“I had done well in the practice matches and didn’t play Round 1 and was pretty flat about that and didn’t handle it the greatest. It took some confidence out of me and then (I) came back into the team and was floating a bit at half forward and pinch-hitting in the middle.
“I went back to the VFL and “Sammy” Hamill, who is a legend, said I just had to go out and have fun.
“It was like local footy with your mates going out and trying to get a kick and once I got back into the team my confidence skyrocketed.”
Clark tried mindfulness and meditation to calm his mind but eventually reverted to the simple things in life.
“When my mind is a bit jumbled I love listening to music reflecting on things lying on my bed.
“Tony Brown is the development person at the club and he lived with us one day a week last year. He lives in Barwon Heads so stayed with me, Nick Coffield and Daulton Langlands on Mondays. So every time he was over we would talk and he is (a) great support to us.”
Clark’s best form last year coincided with Brett Ratten’s taking over as caretaker coach, with the Mount Martha junior thrilled at his permanent appointment.
“He can be really serious about his footy and he just knows so much about the game, but then you can be at the club 20 minutes later and he is just one of the boys, having a laugh and playing cricket with the guys. He has that really good balance between footy and away from it.
“Something he really wants to instil in us is being really good people away from the club and you can tell he has great values.”
Meanwhile, Max King’s debut in the early rounds of 2020 will be one of St Kilda’s feel-good moments, according Clark.
King looked a class above the VFL competition in his time recovering from a 2018 ACL tear before an injury that required ankle surgery ended his first season.
At one stage touted as a No. 1 draft pick before slipping to pick four, his cruising speed and athleticism has seen him nicknamed “Winx” by the Saints players.
But while King is much hyped, St Kilda’s players are nearly as excited by Jack Bytel, whose draft year and 2019 season were decimated by a back injury.
The Saints believe the natural ball winner can have a major impact this year alongside King.
Clark said the Saints had seen how hard both players had worked in rehab and couldn’t wait to play alongside them.
“We are trying not to put too much pressure on Max but when he plays he’s got to bring a lot of excitement. Seeing all the hard work he has put in, I can’t wait to see him play.
“Jack Bytel is in really good nick. I remember watching in the under-15s and he was a gun then. He is a good mate of mine. Everyone has seen the struggles they have gone through.
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“But Max just moves so well. For someone of his size, there are not many guys in the AFL who can move that well, with the exception of his brother Ben. He is a really energetic guy as well so we can’t wait to see those guys debut after 18 months of injuries.”
King’s nickname doesn’t exactly reduce the hype surrounding him but Clark said Dan Hannebery’s moniker eventually caught on.
“Hanners started that. No one really got around it at the start but then eventually everyone jumped on. That’s what we call him, Winx or Winxy, and he’s a big boy so it’s fitting.”
Originally published as Rising star Hunter Clark is ready to follow the advice of new coach Brett Ratten
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