Bradley Hill on how new St Kilda coach Ross Lyon helped him rediscover love for footy

Hill had 21 disposals on Sunday evening as the undermanned Saints produced a gritty 15-point win over Fremantle at Marvel Stadium, in Lyon’s first match since returning to the club after more than a decade.

Three-time Hawthorn premiership player Hill is just over the halfway mark of a six-year deal he signed with the Saints at the end of 2019, having been traded from the Dockers weeks after Lyon was sacked as Fremantle coach.

Hill’s form has been indifferent across his three completed seasons at Moorabbin, with the West Australian shuffled into various roles, including a stint at half-back. He finished equal seventh in the St Kilda best and fairest last season but was also linked with a move to North Melbourne, where he would have reunited with another one of his former coaches in Alastair Clarkson.

Having stayed at the Saints, Hill has been shifted back onto a wing and has relished the chance to be coached again by Lyon.

Hill, who turns 30 this year, concedes he found things difficult over the past couple of years, as the Saints floundered to miss the eight in 2021 and 2022 under Brett Ratten, who was brutally sacked last October.

“It’s been awesome. I probably struggled a bit the last couple of years. Having Ross back, I sort of got the love for the game again,” Hill says.

“I’m really enjoying having Ross back. I’ve had a pretty good relationship with him when he wasn’t at the club and I’ve always stayed connected with him. It’s been unreal having him back.

“I feel like I probably let a bit of the pressure from the outside noise get to me. I probably got to the point where I sort of was not really enjoying it and didn’t really want to play too much. I’ve found that love again, putting a lot of extra time into things with my mental prep and all that sort of stuff, doing a lot of meditation. I just found the love again. A bit of change and whatnot, and just changed my mindset.”

Hill is adamant he still has plenty to offer at the top level, especially now that he is back playing primarily on the wing.

“I think I’ll play a little bit of wing and little bit of high half-forward. I’ve played most of my career there, so I sort of know that role,” Hill adds.

“I feel like I’ve still got some of my best footy ahead of me. I’m probably running better than I ever have. This pre-season, my running’s been easily better that it has been in the past. I feel like I’m stronger in that part of the game. I definitely feel like I can bring a lot to the team.”

While Hill did not specifically address whether he met Clarkson ahead of last year’s trade period, he says he was never likely to depart Moorabbin.

“I don’t think there was any chance I was going to leave. There was a little bit of noise there but nothing went too far ahead,” Hill says.

He adds that Lyon has not changed all that much since his last coaching job at the Dockers more than three years ago.

“When I was at Freo, we had a pretty young group. He’s pretty similar. He’s still tough on us when he has to be, at the right time. He just speaks about, as long as we’re bringing our effort, we don’t care about missed kicks, missed marks,” Hill says.

“As long as we come out and give effort, we’ll give ourselves a chance in every game. I thought we did that well [against Freo].”

While Hill did not discuss the ongoing investigation into alleged racism at Hawthorn during his time at the club, he has become the elder of St Kilda’s First Nations group of players following the retirement of Paddy Ryder. “I think I have to be, I’m nearly 30!”

Hill is mentoring second-year South Australian Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, keen to ensure the out-of-contract playmaker re-signs with the club.

“This year me and him have got really close. He’s a bit of a smart arse now,” Hill says. “I hope [he re-signs], I’ll make sure I talk to him!”