St Kilda list boss James Gallagher says the club's pursuit of gun midfielder Brad Hill was months in the making.
The former Fremantle midfielder, who played 54 games for the Dockers over three years, opted for a move to Moorabbin during the trade period.
The 26-year-old won three premierships at Hawthorn before heading west to join Fremantle at the end of the 2016 season.
Once St Kilda were alerted to the possibility of Hill wanting to move, Gallagher said securing his signature became a “high priority”.
“Over last summer and the early parts of 2019, we were pretty clear on where our list was at and what type of player we wanted to bring in and what those attributes were,” he said on SEN Mornings.
“We were really clear on the type of characters that we wanted to bring in, we looked at what we wanted our list and team to look like going into the future.
“There was an opportunity that came up to have a conversation with Brad (Hill) during the year and clearly he become a really high priority because he’s the type of player that I think our club and supporters have been crying out for.”
Brad Hill was one of a number of high-profile recruits St Kilda signed during this year’s trade period, which include former Port Adelaide pair Paddy Ryder and Dougal Howard as well as former Sydney midfielder Zak Jones.
Listen to James Gallagher's chat on SEN Mornings with Tim Gossage