Indigenous Sport Month: St Kilda star Bradley Hill on 200 games, overcoming criticism of his form and how becoming a father has shaped him

There were high expectations placed on Brad Hill, and he struggled in his first two years at Moorabbin. He opens up on the impact it had on him.

With his “odd pair” Great Dane and French bulldog in tow, Bradley Hill packed up the car and set off for the four-day trip across the Nullarbor from Perth to Melbourne.

His Great Dane, Harry, was too big to travel on the plane and, besides, he didn’t like the thought of putting his canine best friends in the storage hold for the flight.

“They are my odd pair,” Hill said.

“The big fella was too big for the plane and I didn’t want to chuck them underneath on the plane either.

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“My dogs are like, I see them as my kids almost …. so I took the four day drive instead.”

The epic trip – that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Hollywood script – marked the beginning of a new journey for Hill at St Kilda, his third AFL club.

Bradley Hill embarked on a four day journey from Western Australia to Melbourne. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Like the size of his Great Dane, Hill arrived at Moorabbin from Fremantle with some big expectations.

A triple premiership Hawk and Fremantle best and fairest, Hill was the headline act in a St Kilda shopping spree during the 2019 trade period.

Joining the Saints alongside Dan Butler, Dougal Howard, Zak Jones and his cousin Paddy Ryder, the acquisition of the star wingman was seen as a key one with his elite ball use and running ability.

But Hill is the first to admit his first two seasons at the Saints didn’t deliver what he had hoped and he struggled with the spotlight on his form.
He averaged 15 disposals a match in a Covid-marred opening season in the red, white and black when shortened quarters played against his running strengths.

Hill’s form was in the gun during a 2-4 start to the year for the Saints last season when there were calls for the big-money star to be dropped.

Then there was the switch to an unfamiliar halfback role from his wing position last year as coach Brett Ratten searched for a way to recapture his best form.

But the biggest issue for Hill was the noise. The outside noise that he couldn’t block out.

It got to the point where he wasn’t enjoying his football and sometimes felt he didn’t even want to go to the club.

“I definitely struggled a little bit early on,” Hill said at Moorabbin this week.

“Probably most of last year was the toughest and then I probably was listening to the outside noise a bit too much and it probably affected me and my footy and everything.

“I was probably not enjoying it. I even said to ‘Ratts’ there were some days I didn’t even want to come to the club, I wasn’t really enjoying it that much.

“There were times where I was a bit over it and probably letting that outside noise get to me and probably affected me a little bit.”

Hill said he confided in Ryder, but he should have spoken up more about what impact the spotlight on his form struggles had on him.

“With Paddy I did, but probably (other) people at the club I didn’t really speak to,” Hill said.

“I just kept it to myself which was probably worse when I look back on it. I probably didn’t let anyone know.”

Hill said he should have spoke up more about his form struggles. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

In the end, Hill had a choice: let the outside noise consume him and his form, or find a way to shut it down.

He conceded social media had played a big part in that.

“To be honest it was probably just social media, just unfollowing or muting those sorts of channels that would have AFL stuff on there and just not listening to any of that and just not seeing it probably helped,” Hill said.

“I would look at stuff people were saying about me and I read comments and let that affect you.

“Whereas I don’t know those people writing comments (about me) so I shouldn’t really let that affect me.”

HAPPY PLACE

Now, more than two years into his journey at St Kilda, Hill is in a much happier place.

He is enjoying his football again – and it’s showing as the 6-3, sixth-placed Saints flex their finals credentials.

The arrival of his five-month old daughter, Harriet, late last year with his fiancee, Samantha, has played no small part in this.

“Definitely this year, I am back to enjoying footy and always want to be here,” Hill said.

“I think having the little one has helped with that as well.

“Once my daughter came …. I probably looked at things differently. I just started being a bit happier and enjoying footy and wanting to be here.

“This year, I am really enjoying myself, really enjoying my footy and I am just happier now and us as a team playing better footy as well probably helps as well …. (there is) probably less pressure on me”.

Hill said becoming a father had changed his perspective on football.

“If you have a game where you don’t go that well or have a long day at training, you get back home and you have got your little daughter there and she is just smiling at you,” Hill said.

“You don’t think about anything else and you are just in the moment with her.“

On the field, Hill has been used in a half forward role this year in between stints at halfback.

The move delivered a career-high four goals in Round 4 against his former team Hawthorn. Before that match, he had only kicked five goals in two years for the Saints.

Hill with daughter Harriett and his partner Sam. Picture: Michael Klein

He is averaging an elite 20.4 disposals a game and Champion Data ranks his “money kick” second in the AFL for kicks retained inside 50 (66.7 per cent) and third for marks retained inside 50 (37.5 per cent).

Hill was unsure what his “perfect role” was at the Saints, but relished the switch forward.

“I probably found it the trickiest coming into this side and trying to find that right position for me to play, I still get changed around a little bit,” Hill said.

“Most of my career I have been a winger, so just playing wing and wing only.

“At the moment, I started at halfback and then had a big patch playing that half-forward role and then on the weekend I played in the backline as well.

“I don’t know what I will say my perfect role is. I will probably say one thing and then Ratts will be like, ‘Don’t you want to play here?!’

“At the moment I would probably say I enjoy that forward role more than the backline. I do enjoy playing in the backline as well but I feel like when I play that forward role I can get up high on the ground, use my run and get back going forward.”

MILESTONE MATCH

Hill will celebrate his 200th AFL game when the Saints play the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, fittingly in the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous round.

“It’s a cool time to be having my 200th,” Hill said.

“At the start of the year I looked at when my 200th possibly could be and – if I didn’t miss any games – I saw that it fell on Indigenous round and I thought that was a pretty special moment so that’s something I am definitely looking forward to.

“Indigenous round is always a special one for me and to play my 200th is also pretty incredible.”

Hill is hoping to share the milestone moment with baby Harriet.

“She has been to maybe two games and then she will be coming this weekend as well so hopefully I can get her to run out with me,” Hill said.

“She is pretty chilled so I reckon she will be having a big smile when she is running out there.

“I am looking forward to that.”

Hill celebrates a goal. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Reflecting on his journey to 200 games, Hill conceded he was lucky to taste the success he did so early in his career as part of the Hawks’ premiership teams – and probably took it for granted as a young player.

“When I look back on it, I was this young kid thinking ‘How good is this?’ playing every year in finals or Grand Finals,” Hill said.

“I did enjoy those moments. I got into the team at the right time and it was a pretty special team. When I look back on it, I was pretty blessed and pretty lucky to be a part of that.

“Then I probably just expected that to always happen and then I went to Freo and the last couple of years at the Saints and probably haven’t had that success that I had early on.

“Then you realise that it is pretty hard to come across and to win Grand Finals.

“We are going all right this year so hopefully we can keep on the right path.”

Bullish about the Saints’ depth, fitness and youth, Hill is confident the team can again be finals challengers.

“Obviously, we know Melbourne are the number one team to catch but I feel if we keep playing the way we are going about it at the moment, we give ourselves the best chance to play finals,” Hill said.

“I feel like we have got a bit more depth now, there are people fighting for positions which is always a good thing you want at footy clubs and when you play finals you have that.

“Some of the younger boys that are coming through are taking that next step but we are playing some good footy as a team.

“I feel like in our second halves …. we are very fit. When we are close to another team, I feel like we have got that belief that we can run over teams.

“We are building the right way and we have got the younger blokes pushing us older boys along.

“I definitely feel like we are going down the right track with the way we are playing.”

Originally published as Indigenous Sport Month: St Kilda star Bradley Hill on 200 games, overcoming criticism of his form and how becoming a father has shaped him