Halo, Halo: Hunter Clark (left) and Nick Coffield. Credit:Eddie Jim Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size “Nick’s pretty sloppy.” “Oh, please. I’m the cook!” St Kilda’s two prized picks, Nick Coffield and Hunter Clark, have only been living together for a month, but you would be forgiven for thinking it was a year. “I’ll cook it and he’ll clean the dishes,” smiled Coffield as Clark rolled his eyes. “You don’t even cook that much!” he said. Coffield: “Mate, I’ve cooked at least five times and you cooked once.”


“The one time Hunter cooked, he cooked spaghetti and it was so bad we had to put tomato sauce on it.” Clark and Coffield are St Kilda's new odd couple. Clark is from Mt Martha, Coffield from Eltham. They only ever knew each other as opponents on the football field. Now, here they living together around the corner from Moorabbin Oval. Significantly, they also have in common that both have signed two-year contract extensions, just four weeks into their first season. Now they sound like two blokes who have been best mates since childhood. Fine dining won’t be a feature at the Coffield-Clark residence, which is also shared by rookie Doulton Langlands. But what they do bring to Moorabbin is talent. And lashings of it. Saints young gun Hunter Clark. Credit:Eddie Jim Clark is what every club wants on their list. He’s a classy midfielder who wins the ball on the inside and outside. He’s skilful on both feet and he can drift forward and kick goals. Coffield, an all-Australian half-back flanker who had a sensational national Under 18 carnival, is lightning quick and doesn’t waste a disposal.


He was the captain of the Northern Knights and talking to him, it’s easy to see why. But as people – as mates – they’re quite different. Back to the house. “Nick probably spends the most amount of time in the mirror,” said Clark with a smirk, leaving the bait dangling for his mate. “Mate! I find hair everywhere,” Coffield retorted. “Hunter’s got all his different shampoos and conditioners. He’s got his own hairbrush in its own little case on the bathroom bench." Again, Clark rolled his eyes. “Literally everything he just said was a lie.”


The pair banter the way most clubs would want to play their footy: Fast. Clean. Unforgiving. They're like brothers going at it in the front yard, but as soon as Mum calls them in for dinner, it all turns to laughs. Coffield and Clark are each one of three kids. Coffield is the youngest, Clark the eldest in their families, but both say they’re their respective Mum's favourite. Saints recruits Hunter Clark and Nicholas Coffield. Credit:AAP Coffield is lively and charismatic. He’s confident but not arrogant. Clark is quieter. Some would misrepresent it as shyness but it’s not. Clark is the listening type. Apart from new St Kilda contracts, they have a poetic link. Clark grew up a passionate Richmond supporter, while Coffield was a diehard Western Bulldogs fan. In 2016, Coffield went with his father to every Bulldogs final except the first, against West Coast in Perth. They even drove to Sydney to watch the Bulldogs edge GWS in a famous preliminary final.


“Me, my Dad and my brother all jumped in this emotional man hug after we won the flag,” Coffield reflected. Only weeks before Clark was drafted to the Saints, he was at the MCG to watch his Tigers put the finishing touches to their premiership fairytale. “When it was St Kilda that we were drafted to, that was honestly one of the things that I thought about quite a bit,” Clark said. “Seeing the likes of Richmond and the Western Bulldogs have that success, I was thinking that – given St Kilda haven’t won a premiership in so long – we have an opportunity to be a part of the first flag in a long time, which obviously means so much to so many people.” Coffield agreed. He’d thought about it, too. “Richmond and the Dogs came out of nowhere so it’s refreshing to know that no matter how bad things are going, you’re not that far off. Things just have to click. We just have to persist at it. “As a Doggies supporter, that was the best day of my life, to see them win a grand final, so I have no idea how it would feel to actually win one as a player.”


Of course, neither had a say in where they ended up on draft night. But for both of the Saints top ten picks to recommit to the club in a period it is struggling to find form speaks volumes for the culture at Moorabin. “Our group is very young, everyone is growing together. I think our best footy is better than anyone’s,” Clark said. “We’ve got such a bright future, I think we’re the third youngest team in the league,” Coffield said. “The coaching staff are awesome as well, trying to get the best out of us, which is encouraging. It was a no-brainer to re-sign.” Now committed to the Saints at least until 2021, Clark and Coffield reflected on how they wanted to be known as when their contracts ended. “Someone that’s loyal and would do anything for the team. Put the team’s success above their individual success,” Coffield said. Clark, after a pause: “I just want to be known as tough. I want people to think of me as someone who will always put their head over the footy, no matter who it is I’m up against.”