THIS year has seen St Kilda send its most expansive recruiting team to a draft.
The team led by Tony Elshaug this year added Chris Toce, Wayne Hughes and Mark Smart in full-time roles.
Each member of the team has watched more than 700 hours of live and recorded football this year and has featured in a series of video interviews on saints.com.au ahead of the most important day on their calendars.
Learn more about St Kilda’s full-time recruiting team below:
Tony Elshaugh, Recruiting and List Manager - WATCH PROFILE VIDEO
Oversees recruiting team and works closely with Ameet Bains on list management. Played for Collingwood, Melbourne and Essendon before captain-coaching VFA team Dandenong to premiership success. Worked as an assistant coach at North Melbourne and Carlton before joining the Saints in 2006.
Chris Liberatore, Recruiting Analyist - WATCH PROFILE VIDEO
Recruiting officer who looks after the Victorian sector. TAC Cup, VFL, schools. Watched more than 750 hours of live and recorded football. Liberatore, the brother of Western Bulldogs star Tom Liberatore, started at St Kilda on a placement position, working part-time for the first two years. (2009-10) then became full-time at the start of 2011.
Mark Smart, Recruiting Advisor - WATCH PROFILE VIDEO
Covers off South Australia clubs, schools and part-time staff. 700 hours of live and recorded football. Smart worked with TAC Cup team Oakleigh Chargers before joining St Kilda in 2015.
Chris Toce, Recruiting Advisor - WATCH PROFILE VIDEO
Toce observes players from the states that play in Division 2 of the National Under 18 championships – NSW, ACT, Tasmania, Queensland, Northern Territory. Toce estimates that in 2015 he travelled interstate about 25 times and watched about 700 hours of live and recorded football. He joined St Kilda after working at Collingwood part-time for five years.
Wayne Hughes, Pro Scout - WATCH PROFILE VIDEO
An experienced recruiter, Hughes joined the Saints in 2015. His brief is to watch AFL-listed players whether they be playing at AFL level or at domestic level. He estimates that he watches 60 per cent of AFL games live and the other 40 per cent during the week.
Hughes got his start coaching locally and worked in the St Kilda recruiting team before moving to Fremantle then Carlton.
