Mav Weller turned up at Linen House Centre in November 2013 in search of a second chance after being delisted by the Gold Coast Suns less than two months earlier.
With Alan Richardson taking one of his first training sessions after being appointed as Scott Watters’ successor, change was in the air at St Kilda and judging by the condition Weller presented himself in he wanted to be part of it.
Former Saints skipper and current Senior Assistant Coach Aaron Hamill was there when Weller first arrived and saw how determined he was to earn another crack at the highest level.
Hamill has seen Weller rise off the rookie list, force his way into the side by Round 7 and never look back. Since then, the Tasmanian has missed only three games and spent the last three seasons inside St Kilda’s leadership group. It’s been a stellar rise.
“I’ve told the story a few times to people who have asked about him. It’s a really good story in my opinion,” Hamill told saints.com.au ahead of Weller’s 100th game against the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
“Mav rocked up here in pre-season, presented himself in really good condition. So we knew by the way he presented that he was really determined to resurrect his career.
“He got to work when he got here, embraced the work and really understood that this was his second chance at another club and he wanted to make the most of it.
“Fast forward three and a half years and he finds himself in the leadership group of an AFL club so it’s a really good story from someone that wasn’t quite sure where it was going to start again for him.
“There’s been a fair bit go into his first 100 games, so it’s a credit to his effort that’s he’s got here. It’s been on the back of getting his working boots and doing the work; he’s a product of hard work.”
After playing through the midfield and down back earlier in his career, Weller has settled into a role as a dynamic half-forward in the last 18 months.
Hamill, who oversees the forwards at St Kilda, says the boy from Burnie in northern Tasmania epitomises what the Saints want in a forward with his attack on the ball and ability to create scores through defence and offence.
“He’s embraced that role as a forward and he’s a real integral part of what we’re after up forward with his grunt and his pressure and his ability to kick goals for us,” Hamill said.
“If you look at what Toby Greene does between the arcs and how he kicks goals, Mav adds that for us too. He’s a strong marking option if we need him, and he’s able to get up the ground and get the footy and use it well for us.
“He needs to keep developing his game to potentially play wing and midfield again, so he needs to keep adding layers and I think he is capable of doing that.”
