AFL 2022: ‘First class’: Coach hails retiring Saint Dan Hannebery

Dan Hannebery won’t be the only St Kilda player to exit the club as coach Brett Ratten embraces a review of the football department.

Dan Hannebery will play his last AFL game for St Kilda against the Swans. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten labelled former North Melbourne coach David Noble the “ideal person” to lead a review into the club’s football department as decisions on several players loom.

Ratten lauded the impact of retiring veteran Dan Hannebery on the young players at the Saints as the injury-plagued 31-year-old confirmed his retirement, with ruckman Paddy Ryder’s future also up in the air.

After just 17 games in four years at St Kilda, Hannebery will play his 226th and last AFL game this weekend, a decision that was only reached this week as the toll of continued injury fightbacks mounted.

“I’ve put in a mountain of work to get back and contribute this year, but what the end of the season would look like was always in the back of my mind,” said Hannebery, a three-time All-Australian and premiership player with Sydney in 2012.

“Footy has been cruel at times, but I’ve also been lucky to see the highest of highs and share them with some truly incredible people.”

Ratten said the success of Hannebery’s time at St Kilda shouldn’t just be measured in the amount of games he played.

“He didn’t play many games here and people will evaluate it through that and say it wasn’t a success,” the coach said on Thursday.

“But Dan has had a huge success on others off the field, worked closely with some of our younger players and his voice and leadership in meetings.

“He’s had a contribution here, not the way he would have wanted. What we can say he has contributed in different ways. He’s been first class.”

226 and out.

Dan Hannebery will hang up the boots after one final game against the Swans on Sunday.

More to come. pic.twitter.com/XUm4AmyziR

— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) August 18, 2022

Fittingly, Hannebery will finish his career against the Swans, having played 208 games in red and white before his big-money move to the Saints in 2018.

His exit could be the first after the club confirmed it would be conducting a review of St Kilda’s football operations after the Saints missed the finals for the second year in a row.

Ratten welcomed the review and the involvement of Noble, who has worked at three AFL clubs, most recently as coach of the Kangaroos.

“We look back now and think we have let ourselves down. We are going to finish in that ninth, 10th position, and as a footy club we don’t want to be there, we want to play finals,” Ratten said.

“The review is something we are all open to. I think David Noble with his experience in three parts of a footy program – GM of footy, senior coach and list management – what an ideal person to come in and have a look at what we are doing here.

“Regardless if you have had a poor second half of the season or not, you should be reviewing your club each year because whether you finish second or third, if you don’t win it you need to strive for that premiership, which is darn hard to get.

“I’m excited and whatever comes of it will help us move forward.”

President Andrew Bassat has confirmed the club is undertaking a comprehensive review of its men’s football program ahead of the 2023 season.

— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) August 17, 2022

Ratten confirmed the club was yet to offer 34-year-old Ryder, who has returned to Adelaide for family matters, a contract for 2023.

Ryder has previously signalled his want to play on, but there’s no guarantee he will.

“We’ll work through that,” Ratten said.

“He’s getting older and its challenging to get up each game. We’ll need to see where he’s at.”