ST KILDA coach Brett Ratten believes injury-plagued star Dan Hannebery can put a nightmare start to his time at Moorabbin behind him and play plenty of football in 2022.
The three-time Therabody AFL All-Australian has been riddled with soft-tissue injuries since arriving at RSEA Park at the end of 2018, managing only 15 of a possible 63 appearances due to hamstring, calf and groin problems.
Hannebery played only two senior games in 2021 – the final two games of the home and away season – after finally overcoming the persistent calf issues that started in January, shortly after he won St Kilda's 3km time trial.
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But the former Swan hasn’t missed a session across the off-season and pre-season, following a meticulously tailored running and gym program that should see him feature in match simulation in the coming weeks and St Kilda's intra-club later this month.
Under the guidance of new high performance manager Nick Walsh, Hannebery has followed a slower build this pre-season, with the club carefully managing his workload across December and January in attempt to get him to the starting line for the first time since moving to the club after 208 games at Sydney.
Those inside RSEA Park know how unlucky Hannebery has been with his body. They've seen the amount of work he has put in to get back on the park, only to be left despondent. They refuse to think too far ahead but are hoping he is rewarded for his persistence.
"He's had a pre-season that I think by the numbers is the most he's done in the three or four years here, which is great," Ratten told AFL.com.au.
"We still have a go-slow approach with him; we don’t need him firing like a 20-year-old right now; we need him to build and he's doing that.
"Last year he won the time trial when we got back and then within a week, he was sore. We started slowly (this pre-season). We're not getting him to jump into those sort of events. That’s the thing with Dan, he's so competitive, he wants to win it and show everyone. We don’t need him to be doing that right at the moment.
"As you get older people look at your performance in terms of handballs and kicks. He is one of those players that might not need as many handballs and kicks, but his voice and direction is critical to our team. That's so valuable for us and maybe we lack a little bit of that at times. He is a standout in that area.
"I think he'll have a contribution this year. Who knows with the soft tissue? We're working to a plan, but when he's out there we're a better team. We'd love to get him out there as much as possible."
While things haven’t gone to plan at St Kilda, the 30-year-old is regarded as one of the most diligent preparers at the club and has left no stone unturned in his pursuit of returning to full fitness. He has tried almost everything to improve his luck, turning to Pilates, yoga, acupuncture and dynamic neuromuscular stabilisation training, as well as tweaking his diet and sleep patterns in search of anything that will aid his return.
Hannebery has worked closely with physio Richard Citreon, rehab coordinator Marcus Krygger and strength and conditioning coach Steve Forcone at the club, as well as seeing renowned sports movement coach Mark McGrath – who helped Hawthorn star Tom Mitchell return from a horrific broken leg – on a regular basis.
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Four years of persistent injuries can make you forget how good Hannebery was at Sydney. He played a key role in Sydney's 2012 premiership, earned three All-Australian blazers in the Harbour City, polled at least 20 votes in the Brownlow Medal on the three separate occasions – 107 in total – and won the 2015 AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year Award, ahead of that year's Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe.
St Kilda doesn’t expect to see that version of Hannebery. But if they can get 15 to 18 games out of him in 2022 – and performances like the 2020 finals series against the Western Bulldogs and Richmond – it could provide them with the extra boost they need this season.
Hannebery is out of contract at the end of this season and will need to play a chunk of football across the winter if he is going to get another deal at the Saints. But right now, club and player are only focused on building towards his next appearance in the red, white and black.