Steele had ‘well and truly lost confidence’ in himself before Dees move

Jack Steele admits he had well and truly lost confidence in himself as a player towards the back end of his 185-game stint with St Kilda.

The former Saints skipper became a two-time All-Australian and two-time best and fairest during his time in red, white and black, but dropped off significantly from a stats point of view in 2025.

That campaign saw him average just 20.9 disposals and 4.8 clearances a game, both significantly down on previous output.

Entering this season aged 30 and at a new club in Melbourne, most thought his best was simply behind him.

But so far in 2026, that certainly hasn’t been the case, with the inside midfielder averaging 24.5 disposals to go with 5.9 clearances a game, while ranking third in centre clearances league-wide.

It’s been an impressive return to form for a player who cost the Dees just a 2027 third-round pick last trade period, and Steele admits he even was unsure if he was still up to the level.

But according to Steele, speaking to new Dees coach, Steven King, ignited the flame inside him that had just about gone out.

“Yeah, well and truly (I had lost confidence),” Steele admitted on SEN Breakfast.

“Over the last couple of years, I certainly hadn't played my best footy. 

“At times I sort of doubted myself whether I was still up to the level, but when I met with the Demons, Kingy sort of just said that he still thinks that I have it, and he wants to see it.

“Him saying that really made me, I suppose, self reflect and get to work, and I feel like I've still got quite a lot left to give.”

Steele has been a huge reason behind Melbourne’s shock 7-3 start to 2026, and many have pointed to his leadership as being a key behind that.

While Steele came across as a former club skipper, he admits not being a captain anymore has been a weight off his shoulders, as he now spends his time just trying to help bring the club’s young brigade through.

“To be honest, it's been a massive weight off my shoulders (not being captain),” Steele said.

“Obviously, a fair bit of responsibility comes with being the skipper of a club. 

“So, to leave that behind at the Saints and coming to Melbourne, obviously they've got some pretty key leaders as players in Gawny and a few others, so I didn’t feel the need to have too much of a voice.

“I've sort of sat back and really just let them go to work. I've just really been trying to work closely with the younger talent that we've got in Harvey Langford, Caleb Windsor and those sorts of types to really develop their careers both as people and players. 

“To be honest, it's been quite refreshing and something I've really enjoyed just taking a bit more of a backseat.

“It’s been really enjoyable.”

Steele will hope to keep his strong form going when the Demons meet the Bulldogs in an intriguing Marvel Stadium clash on Sunday afternoon.