Jack Steele opens up on St Kilda exit, his new home in Melbourne and the moment he knew he needed a change of pace
Right until the middle of trade period, Saints captain Jack Steele was determined to stay at Moorabbin. He reveals the moment he knew he needed a fresh start, and how he feels in Demons colours.
Jack Steele doesn’t mind that he was nudged towards the exit door at Moorabbin in October.
Few would have predicted the St Kilda captain would be wearing different colours in 2026 when he led his club into last season – least not Steele.
But the 29-year-old says he “couldn’t have been happier” with an abrupt turn of events which has him searching to return to his career-best form in Melbourne’s midfield next season.
“I gave my blood, sweat and tears to the club,” Steele says about his former Saints over lunch at the end of Melbourne’s pre-season camp in Bright.
“And they gave me the respect of moving me on with respect.
“It was clear (it was time to leave St Kilda) … but that’s the one thing I’m so grateful for, what St Kilda has done.
“Ross (Lyon) has been so honest and open with me through the whole process over the last couple of years … there was no trying to deceive me or selling me up the river.
“The whole club was my home for nine years. It’s still such a special place to me, and I couldn’t be happier with how this has all unfolded.”
Steele’s response to an unconventional exit for a captain and dual All-Australian is revealing of the quality of character that Melbourne was so desperate to add to its list after a turbulent last few seasons.
The Demons began lining him up on the middle weekend of the trade period, but at that stage he was still desperate himself to remain at St Kilda – even if it meant trying to learn an unfamiliar new role in his 12th season.
“I knew that I wasn’t hitting my straps … I would go up and down; I’d have a good game; then a bad game; I really just couldn’t find a groove,” Steele says.
“I understood the pretty honest and open conversations Ross (Lyon) was having with me … you’ve got players like Nas (Wanganeen-Milera), Marcus Windhager and even Max Hall who were all going through the midfield more.
“Then you bring in a player like Sam Flanders (from Gold Coast) as well, so it’s quite clear what they were trying to do in that part of the ground.”
Steele met with St Kilda officials at the beginning of the trade period.
He was already going to stand down as captain after weighing that decision from the midway point of the season, but also heard the words he had been dreading.
“Part of that meeting with St Kilda was, ‘you’re probably not going to be playing in the midfield’,” Steele says.
“I was happy to play anywhere else … I just wanted to be part of the team at that point in time.
“But when you think about it, I’m a midfielder – I’ve always been a midfielder.
“So why wouldn’t I try to still play in that position? That was part of (Melbourne’s) pitch, that I was going to be playing in the midfield. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t really refuse.”
TRADE SPARKED BY KING’S SPEECH
St Kilda remained adamant throughout the off-season that it could afford to keep both Steele and Rowan Marshall on the books despite its aggressive recruiting spree.
The controversial decision to pull Leek Aleer’s contract offer from the table suggested a financial squeeze was on, but Steele firmly believes he would have been welcomed back to Moorabbin if he chose to stay.
When the Demons called his manager David Trotter and asked for a meeting on the Monday morning before the Wednesday trade deadline, he considered himself a “five per cent chance” of leaving St Kilda.
Some interest had been expressed by Adelaide and his former GWS the previous week, but Steele and his fiancee Jaz Buckley wanted to stay in Melbourne.
“If we had to move interstate, it would’ve been very tough. We’re getting married in December, just before Christmas – there were a lot of things me and my partner really had to think about,” Steele says.
“I don’t think moving interstate was something that we really looked into too seriously.
“I really did want to stay at St Kilda, because it was comfortable, it was easy.
“But (Trotter) said we should sit down with the Demons and see what they have to say.”
Steele and Trotter went to the MCG to meet with his first St Kilda coach Alan Richardson (Melbourne’s football boss), Demons list boss Tim Lamb, new coach Steven King and new chief executive Paul Guerra.
Steele had heard great things about King from their “footy mutuals”, but the former Geelong captain and senior assistant coach blew him away.
“Their presentation was so appealing, instantly. Kingy was great. He really wants me to get back to the player that I have been before,” Steele says.
“The vision that he has for the group, and the culture he wants to create – it’s just so appealing, it’s something that I really left the meeting wanting to be part of.
“It felt like there was so much genuine care in his voice about me, about the leader that I’ve been and the mentor I can be for the young Dees mids and young players.
“He’s seen my footy, Richo’s seen my footy – it probably hasn’t been up to scratch the last couple of years with form, injuries and a few things.
“A shake-up was definitely due, but Kingy has already made me believe in myself again. He already had belief in me before I walked into the room.
“We walked out of the meeting, me and (Trotter) kind of looked at each other and just went, ‘wow’.
“It was still a hard decision to make in such limited time, but in a way I’m glad we had limited time, because I would’ve hated to be thinking about it for half the season.”
SAINT-TO-DEMON TRANSITION
It’s not the first time Steele has been tasked with integrating himself into a new club, after he moved from GWS to St Kilda at the end of his first two seasons.
A 20-year-old Canberran who was recovering from a serious foot injury at the time of the trade, Steele found his early months with the Saints extremely difficult.
“I wasn’t an established player yet, and I was in rehab too, so I found it really hard to connect,” he says.
“It took me a long time to feel like it was home, whereas this time, I’ve been able to train straight away, I’m a bit more mature and I can have a conversation with just about anyone.
“I’m at a different stage of my life, I guess, and it’s just made things a lot easier in these first couple of weeks coming to Melbourne.
“It was still hard, tough … we’re creatures of habit, we don’t necessarily like change. But already, this change feels so refreshing.
“It’s still uncomfortable at times, and I’m going to be challenged a lot over the course of the pre-season. Whether I play or not come the games, I’m not sure. But I’m just looking forward to the grind, because I feel like I’ll probably grow from it.
Steele had a laundry list of injuries from head to toe as he strained to get through the final month of last season, but says he is in “prime position” to attack the pre-season.
“Which is the opposite of when I first came to the Saints,” he smiles.
“When you’ve got a grumbly knee, you need to build your quad up, build your glute up, which I’ve been able to do in the last few weeks.
“And having a new program and a new team around you to really support you – they’re fresh eyes and a fresh opinion, which can make a big difference.
The Demons identified a need for better off-field leadership when they shipped out star midfielders Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver and brought in Steele, Brody Mihocek and Changkuoth Jiath.
But Steele is undecided on whether he would accept an official leadership role if he was asked.
“I don’t know whether I want to be part of the leadership group officially or unofficially … that’s something we can work towards,” he says.
“Stepping down as (St Kilda) captain was something I had in the back of my mind from midway through the year – it wasn’t a result of me looking for a trade.
“That was always a part of the plan … I don’t mind the idea of being able to sit back and not have that weight on my shoulders, and just go about my football.
“My on-field leadership can really just come through naturally … I don’t want it to be forced, I don’t want to have to think about it too much. I just want it to come out and be authentic, which is another thing I’m looking forward to.”
Originally published as Jack Steele opens up on St Kilda exit, his new home in Melbourne and the moment he knew he needed a change of pace
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