At a glance:

• Hannah Priest says she was "overwhelmed" upon her return to Adelaide.
• The former teacher was cheered on by her former students in Round 2 against the Crows.
• Priest has been a solid force for the Saints in the first four weeks.

For emerging star Hannah Priest, the Saints’ Round 2 fixture in Adelaide marked a significant homecoming for the defender.

Armed with masks, face paint and posters, a brigade of vocal support welcomed Priest back to Richmond Oval.

“I didn’t expect such a huge crowd to come out, I was overwhelmed!” Priest told saints.com.au.

“So many of my school students from Adelaide came out with big signs for me.”

The Mildura product, who studied teaching and played State-League Netball in Adelaide for seven years, turned her life on its head to pursue a career in the AFLW. 

“I’ve loved the challenge of moving somewhere for a new sport,” she said.

The netball-convert played only two seasons of football for Morphettville Park and Norwood, but her early season form for the Saints has turned heads league-wide.

Priest starred on debut against the Western Bulldogs in Round 1, where she collected an impressive 13 touches and laid three tackles.

She built on that outing in Round 2, reeling in four marks and collecting seven disposals against the Crows.

The 27-year-old was a key part of the side’s historic first win in Round 3, where she provided much-needed run off half-back.

In Round 4, Priest again flew the flag in defence, dominating in one-on-one contests all afternoon.

For the most part, the newcomer has flown under the radar, preferring to let her football doing the talking.

But her weekly improvement has caught the eye of the faithful.

“It shows that Saints fans are everywhere,” Priest said.

And despite Sunday’s cruel one-point loss, the newly-formed Saints are on the up.

“Every day we’re learning something new and learning something new about each other,” she said.

“We’re such a young side and every week we are showing more exciting football, which is awesome.”

At the halfway point of the season, her grit, courage and commitment haven’t wavered.

So when St Kilda comes up against a star-studded Carlton forward line this Saturday night, you know what you’re going to get from Hannah Priest.