MPNFL: Former Hawthorn and St Kilda player Shane Savage joins Pines

The Pythons have revealed the vital connection that helped them secure a former AFL midfielder in the biggest recruiting coup of the MPNFL off-season.

Shane Savage playing for the Saints.

It was months in the making.

In July, Pines stated its recruiting priority was to land an ex-AFL player.

On Monday, the Pythons got their man, unveiling Shane Savage, the former Hawthorn and St Kilda midfielder, as their marquee signing.

He will be a playing-assistant coach, taking the midfield.

“We’re rapt,” Pines coach Paddy Swayn said.

“When you look through what he’s done, he’s had 165 AFL games and played five years under (Alistair) Clarkson…it’s a pretty impressive resume.”

Swayn said the clincher in Savage’s decision to join Pines was his friendship with ruckman Russell Gabriel and also the club’s family environment.

Savage and Gabriel played together as teenagers at the Dandenong Stingrays in 2008.

“Russ was captain of the Stingrays in Savage’s first year,” Swayn said.

“It’s funny how footy works.”

Shane Savage of Hawthorn is congratulated by teammate Jarryd Roughhead.

“The family stuff was massive,’’ Swayn said.

“We did little things like instead of just interviewing him, we got his missus into the interview on Zoom.

“And we had (club official) Kim Jackson (chat to them)…a lot of clubs don’t do that, use females in their interviews, they just use blokes.

“And I reckon that helped.’’

Savage played 56 games for Hawthorn between 2009-13.

While he missed out on being part of the Hawks premiership glory, he did play a significant role in Box Hill’s VFL premiership victory over Geelong at Etihad Stadium in 2013.

Traded to St Kilda, Savage became a regular in Alan Richardson’s line-up.

He played 109 games for the Saints before being delisted at the end of the 2020 season.

His last AFL appearance was in the Saints’ semi-final loss to Richmond last year.

Savage was disappointed to be let go by St Kilda and said at the time he felt like he had “plenty of good footy’’ in him.

He played with Port Fairy this year.

Swayn said Savage was “really professional the way he goes about it’’ and would play a crucial role in the young Pythons side.

“He will bring a lot to us,’’ he said.

Pines has also recruited speedy Seaford wingman Nick Braund.

“We’ll have a bit of a nippy sort of a side,’’ Swayn said.