Brad Hill has fallen in love with footy again.
Having played 149 senior games at Hawthorn and Fremantle, it was the next 41 that would prove most arduous.
The marquee signing during St Kilda’s 2019 trade period, Hill arrived at Moorabbin carrying three Hawthorn premierships, one Fremantle best and fairest nod and immense expectation with a lucrative six-year deal.
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St Kilda Press Conference | 08:30
Like the Saints as a whole, Hill’s form line was sporadic over his first two seasons at the club.
He found himself the subject of external scrutiny as fans and commentators alike looked to unpack the club’s middling output.
Hill’s radar was attuned to such criticism.
“It was probably tough early on when I was sort of hearing that and probably listening to that noise. I probably did struggle with it early for a while,” Hill told foxfooty.com.au after St Kilda’s 22-point win over Carlton on Sunday to remain on top of the ladder after six rounds.
“This year I’m just enjoying my footy and it’s been awesome. Even at the club, training and everything, it’s sort of shifted and everyone’s having a lot of fun.
“We just want to get the best out of each other. Every day, I’m excited to get to the club for training and game day.
“I sort of didn’t really have that excitement over the last couple of years and it was a bit of a struggle, but I’m loving footy again. It’s been awesome.”
While Hill began to turn his relationship with football around in 2022, the arrival of his former coach Ross Lyon seems to have heralded a fresh start and breathed new life into the 29-year-old, who is in a rich vein of form along with so many of his teammates.
Hill admitted it is “probably” the most he’s enjoyed his football since he arrived at St Kilda,
“I just didn’t really love it (footy) as much and that’s probably why I wasn’t playing as good of footy over the last couple of years probably,” he said.
“I’ve just come out here, given it my all, having a crack. I’m loving it again, that probably helps, being more confident and enjoying it, you’re in a better headspace, definitely.”
The Saints now sit at six wins and one loss in Lyon’s second stint at St Kilda, with the only loss coming by one goal to premiership fancies Collingwood.
Now in his third crack at senior coaching – following time his initial tenure at the Saints before eight years at Fremantle – Lyon has dubbed himself “Cuddly Ross” rather than the more confrontational version of himself that fronted the media in his formative years.
Hill said Lyon 3.0, while “pretty laid back”, can “still be pretty hard” on game day, but the key to his success has been the simplicity in messaging.
“I’ve got a very strong relationship with Ross. I’ve been close to him since the Freo days,” Hill said.
“I just have so much respect for him, he always believes in me and just keeps it pretty simple for me, bring your run, work hard and things happen.
“It’s been awesome having him back, I’m really loving my footy again, so I’m very thankful to have him.”
Also vital to Hill’s rekindled love of the game has been a social media purge.
“What I did was pretty much on my social media I’ve locked it all, so I don’t really see anything on my social media,” he said.
“I was back in the day reading stuff and looking at that, so now I just don’t even bother and I just listen to the people that matter and that are close to me.”
Those closest to him include his partner Samantha and one-year-old daughter Harriet, with the former riding the ups and downs of Hill’s relationship with the game, including the worst of it in the form of racial abuse via social media.
Hill’s response to adversity is a lesson for everyone, Lyon said after Sunday’s win.
“There’s a lot of things that go into the pie (of Hill’s form) … at the end of the day it’s a bit like me, you’ve just got to own your stuff,” Lyon said of Hill’s response to critics of his on-field output.
“It’s how we choose to respond to different stimuli and circumstances and events in your life.
“Maybe he’s just taken a positive spin, I don’t know. That‘s the power we’ve all got to choose how we respond to any given situation and he’s choosing the right manner at this point.”
Despite the barnstorming start to the season from St Kilda, Hill insisted the side was “still building.”
“Obviously we want our fans to come to every game and support us and having them come out gives you that extra little excitement when you’re running around.
“It’s been good, but we’ve got to keep it up. We’ve been very happy with the start for sure.”
As to whether Lyon had added any new ‘Lyon-isms’ since his time at Fremantle, one has emerged from the opening six rounds.
“He had a weird one the other day, he goes ‘Shepherders shepherd, kickers kick’,” Hill recalled.
“I’ll kick I think.”
Whatever the case, the best outcome for Hill is that he now gets a kick out of footy again.
