Former St Kilda player Seb Ross on his delisting, AFL lifeline hopes and signing with local footy club

Seb Ross was under no illusions that he was in trouble, but the end still came quick. The former Saint reflects on how it unfolded, his time at the club and what’s next — on and off the field.

Former St Kilda veteran Seb Ross is content with entering the next phase of his life despite an abrupt end to his time at the Saints, but he said the “fire still does burn” if another club wants to hand him an AFL lifeline.

Ross, 31, was delisted by the Saints just days after their final round win over Carlton in what football boss Dave Mission described as an “incredibly difficult” decision.

The heart and soul player won two St Kilda best and fairests in 2017 and 2019 and played 211 games for the club, including 13 games the first 14 rounds last season.

Ross was then demoted to the VFL for a fortnight and unfortunately succumbed to a serious calf injury at training in late July.

The Horsham product signed as a playing co-coach with Colac in the Geelong Football League earlier this month and is set to move into financial planning post-football while based in Geelong.

However, Ross will take an AFL opportunity with both hands if a club is willing to add him as a delisted free agent, believing he can offer a side senior experience.

Seb Ross was delisted at the end of the 2024 season. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Obviously there is some clubs out there that have lost a fair bit of that in the past year or two and a guy who knows about the work ethic that is required to play, the preparation that is required to play at the elite level,” Ross told this publication.

“Also being a student of the game for a long period of the time and knowing the current trends of the game, there is that experience as well.

“The advice I’ve been given is that (delisted free agent) sort of stuff will come late October if there is any, because they have got more priorities at this stage.

“At the moment it is kind of easy to move on because there is no real choice there. On one side of the coin the fire still does burn, but then on the other side there is a content-ness with what I was able to do over that long period of time.

“I think with what’s happening with Colac and with the (financial planning) job at Regional Prosperity, I am as excited about that as well. I feel pretty good about the situation I’m in.”

Ross was under no illusions that he was in trouble after his untimely injury blow, but the end still came quick for him.

After being a constant in St Kilda’s midfield group for the best part of a decade, the reliable Saint was told he was no longer required.

“It was interesting, I wasn’t in the dark. I’ve been around long enough to know exactly how brutal the industry can be,” Ross said.

“It was probably more of a shock how abruptly it ended. Not so much a shock that it ended, because I knew it was definitely a chance to happen with the direction the club was going to move in and my age and all that sort of stuff.

“But once I put a full stop on things I was like, ‘aw jeez, that happened quick’, because there wasn’t much in the lead-up about where things were at.

Ross said he had more sympathy for players stuck in limbo during the trade period, discussing that challenging situation with a friend who had been through that scenario several years ago.

“He got held over during this trade period and we were talking about how hard it is for the player to be in the dark and not have a contract for November and things can change really quickly,” Ross said.

“You can be getting positive news from the club and then next minute saying, ‘thanks for your services’ sort of thing.

“That would probably be the hardest part but unfortunately as players we understand that is part of the caper. For me I probably felt like it wasn’t going to go my way, once I got injured I thought there is not much I could do about it.”

Ross looks back on his 13 seasons at the Saints fondly, and he was able to get some closure at St Kilda’s best and fairest night in late September.

He conceded there isn’t a lot of time for reflection while in the cut and thrust of the AFL industry, but he is “pretty proud” of what he achieved at St Kilda, which came from years of hard work and dedication.

Seb Ross celebrates with fans after his 200th game in 2024. Picture: Michael Klein

“It is such a fast moving beast, with guys getting held over and then it’s like ‘nah, you’re done’. It just keeps on rolling on each year,” Ross said.

“I was fortunate enough to play with St Kilda Hall of Famers like Lenny Hayes and (Nick) Riewoldt, Stevie Milne, and it is like, ‘what is the club going to be like when they are gone?’

“Then you rock up that pre-season and they are gone and things seems normal and the void just gets filled.

“I had a really good night at the best and fairest with my wife and I. It was good to close that chapter and have a really good night, say goodbye to people and say goodbye to my teammates and people that work in the background and do so much for us to play every week.

“That was a nice night, but I think I wouldn’t have expected to have the career that I’ve had back when I was playing bottom-age footy at Horsham Demons and even at Ballarat Rebels.”

CHOOSING COLAC

Word spread around town that Ross was moving to Geelong, and local clubs across the region were quick to hit him up.

“I thought Geelong might have been a bit bigger than the smaller towns, but news travels fast,” Ross chuckled.

But it was the similarities between his hometown of Horsham and Colac that saw him choose the Tigers.

A personal connection with former Saint and ex-Colac player Tom Simpkin also helped, with his brother Jonathan – a Hawthorn premiership player – set to go around again next season at the age of 37.

Seb Ross with Colac president Matt Gibson. Picture: Supplied

“I think being a Horsham boy and growing up in a country footy club, as soon as I walked into the place that was exactly what it reminded me of,” Ross said.

“Being in the AFL system for so long and how professional it is these days, that’s probably the one part of footy you can’t replicate.

“That is the thing I really missed, so as soon as I was out there I was instantly gravitated towards the place because it reminded me of being a kid again, so that is something that really excited me.”

Along with Jonathan Simpkin and former Geelong and Carlton forward Darcy Lang, Colac will boast three former AFL players next season, and the Tigers are striving for their first premiership since 2014.

Before then Ross will help add some extra recruits and a new co-coach, with his partner expected to be decided on in the next fortnight.

“I think the good thing about Colac is the crux of the list is there. They only just missed out on finals last year and previous years to that finishing second two years in a row,” Ross said.

“So it is there, the guys are hungry, so we sort of just need to tinker with a few things and the addition of a new co-coach, another fresh face could sort of help that.”

Pending an AFL lifeline, Ross will have his hands full in 2025 completing his degree, working in the financial planning industry and playing and coaching with Colac – all while looking after his kids Charlotte and win boys Vinny and Henley with his wife, Marnie.

But he can’t wait to embark on the next chapter.

“I have got a young family who needs support so I still need to get out there and get a job and earn an income,” he said.

“A pretty full on year next year with working full time hours – like the rest of everybody else which is something that I am not really used to – and also taking on the co-coaching role, time will be pretty filled up, but I’m certainly excited for it.”

Originally published as Former St Kilda player Seb Ross on his delisting, AFL lifeline hopes and signing with local footy club