Josh Battle has praised St Kilda coach Ross Lyon as a “father figure” as he weighs up whether to stay at the AFL club.
The 25-year-old defender will soon be a free agent and has been heavily targeted by Hawthorn with a reported six-year offer on the table.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Josh Battle addresses AFL contract decision.
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The Hawks have risen up the ladder in the back half of the season and are looking to consolidate their improvement by recruiting Battle and West Coast premiership defender Tom Barrass.
While Barrass’ decision rests on whether he wants to stick fat with the Eagles’ rebuild to see out his career as a one-club player, Battle’s call is somewhat more complex.
He has played just two finals in his career with the Saints and is deciding between two teams on more similar trajectories.
“I’m loving my time here, I’m loving what Ross is doing with the boys,” Battle told 7NEWS Melbourne’s Mitch Cleary after St Kilda’s 48-point win over Richmond on Sunday.
“I’ll make the decision at the end of the year and hopefully we can finish off the year well.”
Battle said Lyon has been a “huge influence” on his football and beyond.
“Ross is sort of a father figure I go to for advice, he’s someone who’s been influential on my life, that’s for sure,” he said.
Hawthorn catapulted themselves into the finals race with long winning streaks but St Kilda, without being right in the mix for the top eight, have a 4-2 record over the past six weeks.
Battle said their form “definitely” plays into his decision-making process, which is also influenced to a lesser extent by the rise of their young players.
“I think we’re in a pretty good spot. Since the break we’ve been playing good footy, minus last week, we knew we weren’t at our best and we had to respond tonight,” he said.
“I think a little bit. I love working with the young guys here … we’ve got a lot of guys coming through. Hopefully it can be good.”
Star teammate Jack Sinclair said he would not get in Battle’s ear despite backing in St Kilda just last year when he signed a contract until the end of 2027.
“It’s hard. You don’t really know the ins and outs to be honest,” Sinclair told AAP.
“I’d love him to stay, but he’s got a lot to weigh up, no doubt, and I’m sure he’ll do what’s best for him and his family.
“Hope he stays, he’s had a great year, great couple of years, really integral part of our back line and really reliable player.
“I love what he brings and hopefully he’ll be in Saints colours next year, but it’s hard to influence too much. You don’t want to step in and feel like you’re probably unwelcome.
“But at the end of the day, it’s his decision, and yeah, we’ll live with it either way.”
St Kilda will hope to keep the good times rolling against Geelong and Carlton in the last two weeks of the season.
“We’re just trying to set ourselves up for the future, for future success. So for us, that’s about giving everything for every game,” 29-year-old Sinclair said.
“We don’t just want to get to the line and have a poor finish to the year, because it can really derail you going into your break.
“We want to give the fans something to be proud of these last couple of weeks, and really just keep building for what’s next, whether it’s next year, year after that, who knows? You never know what’s around the corner in footy.
“We’ve been challenged so much this year, but I just love the way the group’s responded.
“Individually players have really shown heaps to dig in and respond, get back to their best footy.
“I really believe in what we’re building with the coaches and the players, and it keeps me excited heading into my 11th year next year, just a bit of a breath of fresh air.”
– With AAP