Jack Silvagni stood over the ball with his nose freshly broken, his head wrapped in a beige bandage and 47,000 people โ mostly Port Adelaide fans โ holding their breath.
Bloodied, battered and with 13 goalless months behind him, he didnโt flinch.
He went back, took his time and kicked the goal that would define St Kildaโs night.
Arms flailing, chest heaving, teammates swarming, it was the release of an emotional pre-season, compressed into a few seconds of pure emotion.
โIt meant a lot,โ Silvagni admitted in the Saintsโ rooms afterwards, still riding the high. โAs a backman, you donโt often get to go forward and kick goals. At that time of the game, we needed one โฆ so it was nice to put it through and carry on a bit after.โ
The moment itself came via a 50-metre penalty, but there was nothing cheap about the finish. With the game on the line and Port Adelaide surging, Silvagni steadied and delivered โ his first goal in over a year, and his first in St Kilda colours.
โI havenโt been able to hit my foot all year,โ he joked. โSo it was nice.โ
It was also symbolic.
Silvagni has spent much of his career shifting between roles, battling injuries and fighting for continuity, and since moving to Moorabbin has been carving out a place in Ross Lyonโs system as a disciplined, accountable defender, while still offering the versatility to swing forward when needed.
โI think I found my niche as a back last year for Carltonโ Silvagni said. โAnd Iโm really enjoying it down there. But itโs nice to know I can go forward when needed.โ
That versatility proved decisive.
Silvagni had largely done his job down back โ โif my manโs not getting the kick, Iโm doing my jobโ โ but when the game demanded something extra, he found himself in the right place at the right time. And when the opportunity came, he didnโt hesitate.
Itโs been a stuttering start to life at St Kilda. A limited pre-season following groin surgery, just four weeks of full training, and no practice matches left him playing catch-up from the outset. Even his first hit-out in Saints colours ended prematurely.
โI only had four weeks of full training,โ he said. โGot knocked out in that first practice game โฆ no scratch matches either. So Iโve been finding my feet a little bit.โ
But internally, the belief hasnโt wavered. Nor has the intent to prove himself.
โComing to a new club, you want to earn the respect of your teammates, your coachesโฆ endear yourself to the fans,โ he said. โI like to think you do that through hard work, through a gritty sort of way of playing.โ
Silvagni was asked in a post-game interview on Channel Seven if he was relieved to have escaped the pressure-cooker environment at Carlton, where coach Michael Voss again this year finds his job under threat.
โIโm really enjoying the change,โ he responded. โI still have a lot of great mates there who I speak to really frequently. I feel for what theyโre going through at the moment. Iโve been through it a couple of times at the Blues where theyโre sort of in this position, and itโs not a nice thing to deal with.
โI really feel for them. But I know that theyโre a tight group and theyโll rally around each other, theyโll rally around Vossy. And Iโm sure theyโll reap some reward at some stage.โ
But his focus is now firmly on St Kilda, where his teammates have embraced him, the coaches have trusted him, and the Saintsโ faithful โ often starved of moments like this โ have responded in kind.
โI feel incredibly loved and welcomed,โ Silvagni said. โThe fans have been awesome โฆ every interaction Iโve had, Iโm really thankful.โ
There was also family in the rooms on Sunday night, as his father, Saints list boss Stephen, and mother, Jo, made the trip to South Australia.
โTheyโre here somewhere,โ Silvagni said with a smile. โThey came to watch.โ
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Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.
