Newly re-signed St Kilda ruckman Tom Hickey admits it was an easy decision to extend his time at Linen House Centre given the bright future he sees for the football club.
The 25-year-old was one of the Saints’ shining lights in 2016, grasping the No. 1 ruck position at the club and establishing himself as one of the best emerging ruckmen in the competition.
After beginning his career at the Gold Coast Suns, the Brisbane product said he is settled in Melbourne and playing at a club he loves running out for, so he didn’t entertain the prospect of returning to his home state.
“It was pretty easy right from the get go really. We’re a young group and we’re on the improve. I love this club and want to stay here and help us get success,” Hickey told saints.com.au on Wednesday afternoon.
“I’ve been here since we were at the bottom and I’m loving the rise that we’re having and hopefully it can continue.
“Mum wanted me to come home pretty bad, but I’m pretty well settled down here, I’ve got my girlfriend down here and I’ve been down here for five years now and got I really good group of mates.”
After managing 29 games in his first three seasons at St Kilda, Hickey played in Round 1 and never looked back after breaking the club record for hitouts (56), as well as setting a personal best for hitouts and disposals against Port Adelaide, which laid the foundations for the form that followed.
The Queenslander featured in the first 20 games of the season, where he beat All-Australian ruckman, Max Gawn, on two occasions as well as getting the better of the previous All-Australian, Todd Goldstein, before a calf injury sidelined him for the last fortnight of the year.
Hickey attributed his career-best campaign to a thorough preparation last pre-season, which allowed him to get to the starting line with an adequate base before he found a routine he executed each week.
“I loved playing every game and being able to contribute to the team. It was based on a really good preparation and found myself in a really good routine throughout the week and my footy benefited, so hopefully I can continue that this year,” he said.
With Jason Holmes featuring in the last two games of 2016, Lewis Pierce breaking through for a debut and Billy Longer playing 18 games in 2015, St Kilda is well stocked in the ruck department and the fierce competition for spots is something Hickey believes is driving them all to improve.
“I think we’re in a pretty rare position where our club has four ruckmen that can genuinely play each week. We know competition for spots is pretty heated and we’ve still got a long way to go before round 1 so we’re still fighting for that spot,” he said.
