JASON Blake leaves St Kilda as one of the most revered Saints over the past decade.
His retirement at the conclusion of the season coincided with Stephen Milne’s and Justin Koschitzke’s, and all three were farewelled in superb style with a huge win over Fremantle.
Blake played the last four games of the year and the first three, bringing his career tally to 219 matches.
When he wasn’t in the senior team, the much-loved veteran continued to display great leadership at the VFL level, helping to accelerate the next generation of St Kilda defenders and setting the standard for them to follow.
Late in the final quarter in round 23, Blake was moved from defence into attack and immediately marked and goaled. This game was also the second match in his career that the 32-year-old received a Brownlow vote.
Backline coach Danny Sexton:
“Jason displayed great leadership all season, guiding the young guys through the year. He missed a chunk of footy due to injury but played the last handful of games and was a really pivotal part of our late season run of solid performances.
It was great to see him go out on top. Against Freo he defended really well and kicked that goal to cap off a stellar career.”
Saints in review today: Jason Blake, Rhys Stanley, Jimmy Webster
Saints in review Thursday: Brodie Murdoch, Tom Simpkin, Terry Milera
You can follow Tom Morris on Twitter: @tommorris32
