St Kilda captain Jack Steele has dispelled trade rumours after the Saints skipper was named as the starting substitute during their game against North Melbourne on Sunday.
The Saints won the game by nine points against the Kangaroos, with Steele having eight disposals and two clearances after coming on for an injured Mitch Owens in the third quarter.
As just the fourth captain to be named as the starting substitute, the move raised eyebrows as to whether Steele may request a move elsewhere at the end of the year.
Steele, who is contracted until the end of 2027, ended those trade talks, telling the Herald Sun that he was happy at the club despite being shocked at being named sub.
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"Initially I thought, ‘yeah, s***, it might be the end’, which is only natural–it’s only human to have those sorts of thoughts," Steele said.
“The last two weeks have been great, but before then we were pretty dry... I’ve deleted social media, I don’t watch any footy. I couldn’t give a rat’s arse about (trade rumours) to be honest.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon talked about Steele in his post-match press conference, explaining that Steele was playing with some soreness and wanted to give him a bit of rest before his 200th game next week.
"In this case, we felt we’ve got some young mids coming through. You’re banged up. You got your 200th and that’s all booked and sorted," Lyon said.
“And I said, ‘Mate, you’ll be starting in there next week’. Like, no problem."
Steele has played 182 of his 199 games for the Saints since coming over from GWS and has been the captain since 2021, and will play his 200th this week against 16th-placed Richmond on Saturday.