Search any draft prospectus from 2017, and you’ll find ‘Hunter Clark’ and ‘tough’ in the same sentence.

We’ve seen glimpses of this toughness, with Clark’s willingness to put his body on the line seemingly contrary to his still developing physique.

But rarely has this relentless hardness been more clearly on show than it was on Sunday night.

The words ‘Jack Ziebell at full tilt’ would have most second-year footballers nervous.

Midway through the second term, Clark found himself in the headlights of North Melbourne’s bullish skipper, but the 20-year-old didn’t take a backwards step, committing himself to the tackle and bringing Ziebell down in a bone-crunching collision.

The hit left the young Saint battered but not broken, sitting out the remainder of the second quarter for the mandatory concussion observance period.

10 possessions in a blistering third term announced the No. 11’s resurgence, and only confirmed the pre-draft hype about his hard edge.

Clark finished the day with 19 touches – not eye-grabbing on the stats sheet – but his game offered a taste of composure and class beyond his years.

A casual confidence on either foot was only amplified by his ability to coolly assess his options and buy more time than seemed plausible, all in just his 22nd game of league football.

On a gloomy night for the Saints, Clark’s ability to spur his side on even after copping the brunt of Ziebell’s bulk was inspiring.

Frustrating inconsistency and multiple stints in the VFL spelled the start of Hunter Clark’s 2019 story.

Toughness, composure and class are rewriting the end.