AUSTRALIAN cricketer and St Kilda fanatic Glenn Maxwell has had a whirlwind week since winning the World Cup in front of his home fans.
He spent a few days celebrating the triumph with teammates, before heading to Perth later in the week for a good friend’s wedding. With just one day to himself, the all-rounder boarded the long flight back to Melbourne on Sunday morning with one thing in mind – watching his beloved Saints.
Despite having very little sleep and needing to prepare for an imminent trip to the Indian Premier League, the 26-year-old was keen to watch St Kilda live for the first time in longer than he cares to remember.
“It’s nice to come out here and see my Saints,” Maxwell said.
“I haven’t seen them play in a long time because I’m away most of the winters playing cricket.”
Become a Saints member TODAY! Click HERE.
Having forged a successful career in the green and gold (among other T20 franchise colours), Maxwell recalled his days with the oval-shaped ball fondly.
“My footy skills actually weren’t too bad,” he said.
“I played my last season in the under 18s for South Belgrave Football Club and managed to win a best and fairest and did alright in the league voting too.
“I thought I was going to go down the footy track and then I got offered a Victorian contract which put a line through that.”
Maxwell also nominated St Kilda’s two most recent best and fairest winners as his favourite players.
“You can’t go past Nick Riewoldt. He’s a true champion and it’s awesome to watch him play live,” he said.
“I’ve been watching Jack Steven and it’s great to see him step up and go about it.
“We’re going through a transition phase at the moment and it’s great to see the young come through and develop.”
Maxwell flew to India on Easter Monday to resume his IPL career with Kings XI Punjab, but confirmed he would stay up to date with all things St Kilda while abroad over the next few months in India and the UK.
“The Twitter link keeps me well informed and I get all the updates through that,” he said.
“It’s been good keep in touch with the boys and make sure they are doing the right things.”
Thanks to @stkildafc for the tickets! Great seats! Big 2nd half coming up! #gosainters! pic.twitter.com/NLr0r07Vsf
— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) April 5, 2015