St Mary’s player Luke Hillier joins Geelong Amateur in mid-season move

A goalkicker has opted to change leagues after being stuck on the outer at one of the GFNL’s best sides. And he will reconnect with another former player from that club.

Luke Hillier has made a mid-season switch to the BFNL.

A St Mary’s player has made a mid-season switch to the Bellarine Football Netball League, with Luke Hillier set to boost Geelong Amateur’s forward stocks.

Hillier has made the call to join the Ammos with close mate Paddy Dowling — another former Saint — after being stuck on the fringes of the Saints’ stacked line-up this season, playing four senior games and five in the reserves.

He also found himself in and out of the Saints side last year and was dropped ahead of their preliminary final loss to Leopold.

The goalkicker found himself back in the reserves in round nine despite kicking five goals in his previous two senior matches against St Joseph’s and St Albans.

Hillier, who joined the Saints ahead of the 2023 season after dominating for Coleambally Blues in the Farrer Football League in New South Wales, has shown he is well above GFNL reserves level, kicking 15 goals in five seconds games this year.

Geelong Amateur co-coach Dan Holroyd said Hillier indicated his interest to join the club.

“We have spoken to him before and developed a bit of a relationship and then recently he sort of reached out that he was ready to make the move,” Holroyd said.

“I can’t speak on Luke’s behalf but he has got a couple of close mates at Ammos and maybe wasn’t enjoying footy as much there (at St Mary’s).

“He is fairly versatile but he is a good runner, hits the scoreboard, so he’s going to give us a bit of flexibility I reckon as to where we can play him as well.”

Hillier has trained with the club this week and will reconnect with Dowling, who sits second in the BFNL goalkicking with 36 majors in 11 matches.

Dowling told this publication in May that he lost love for the game during a frustrating campaign with St Mary’s last season.

Originally published as St Mary’s player Luke Hillier joins Geelong Amateur in mid-season move