New St Kilda recruit Dougal Howard says there were aspects of his time at Port Adelaide which confused him, leading to his exit at the end of 2019.
The versatile key position player made a surprise exit from the Power at the end of last season, moving to the Saints amid a number of offers from rival clubs.
The 23-year-old, who played 45 games in five seasons at Port Adelaide, opened up on the reasons why he decided to make the move to Moorabbin.
“I wasn’t sure how it was going to pan out until right before the trade was done,” he said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“During the trade period was when I made my decision, I thought it was the right move for my career and I needed a fresh start.
“It all went pretty smoothly in the end and both clubs worked well together. I was a little disappointed with how things finished last year and a fresh start was the best thing for me.
“There were a few things that went on that not necessarily disappointed me but was a bit confusing and hopefully now it’s a fresh start and smooth sailing ahead.
Howard remains steadfast that his best football is when playing as a defender, a belief Port Adelaide didn’t share.
He said when told his future at the Power would only see him play forward, it came as a shock.
“I was fine playing up forward and had nothing against that but I probably thought my best footy was played as a defender,” he said.
"It didn’t disappoint me (when I was told the news that I would be playing forward) but it was just a bit of a shock.
“I was told that if I was going to be at Port Adelaide in the near that I wasn’t going to play in the backline going forward and that’s where it sat.”
You can listen to Dougal Howard's full chat on SEN SA Breakfast in the player below.