By Jonty Ralphsmith
The recognition was always going to come.
You don’t win 52 disposals, as Joel Hillis did last weekend for Devon Meadows, and dodge the limelight.
Hillis wishes he could.
The brutal midfielder comes to life on Saturday afternoons, playing with a healthy injection of brashness and ego but jockeying to deflect the attention that comes with it.
Universally described as humble at Glover Reserve, his unassuming temperament borders on mild ignorance of the joy he’s brought to a club so long starved of success.
When congratulated and pumped up by people around the club, he responds with a boyish awkwardness which belies his explosive match-winning consistency.
“I’m a pretty shy person and I dislike people talking about me,” Hillis said.
“It’s good behind closed doors but I do get uncomfortable with it all.”
He’s a local footy club’s dream: a heart and soul player committed to winning a premiership, and sacrificing cash and better opportunities elsewhere, preferring to grow with his home club.
“I’ll stay loyal because this club will always feel like home for me,” Hillis said.
“I love the people in it and they have always been there for me when I have needed it.”
His patience is starting to be rewarded, with Devon Meadows taking steps forward each year since 2021, and having positioned themselves for a flag tilt in 2024.
He’s grown alongside the club, with the Panthers finding the perfect blend of youth, experience and leadership in a season Hillis is having a career best year.
A 52-disposal effort last weekend against Seaford was the latest chronicle in a season which surely has the 27-year-old at the top of the league medal counting.
How are these for numbers?
29 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 10 score involvements, five intercept possessions, four tackles, two goals.
That’s a standard game for Hillis.
His average stats are mind-blowing.
But what the raw numbers don’t tell is his ability to stand up with the game on the line.
In a mid-season clash with Edithvale-Aspendale, Hillis kicked five goals in the last quarter to drag his team from the doldrums of a sapping defeat to within a point of an unbelievable comeback
He was similarly crucial in Devon’s win over the previously undefeated Chelsea.
“I definitely enjoy it when the game is on the line,” he said.
“There’s nothing better than stepping up in big moments.”
It’s off the back of a summer playing in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) for Waratah, averaging a goal a game playing forward.
The conditioning from training in the humidity has helped this season; not only does he finish quarters and games strongly, he often played 100 per cent game time when Patrick Ryder was absent through the middle of the year, resting as a deep forward.
“It was an awesome experience and so important for my fitness,” he said of the NTFL.
“I did lots of top up running which has helped me find the perfect blend of strength and fitness this year where in the last couple of years, I probably put on too much muscle.
“Getting away from Melbourne was good for me mentally too.
“I’m a massive over-thinker, so I have tried to switch it up and have a more relaxed attitude.
“I’ve found knowing I’ve put the work in during the week gives me confidence I will perform on a Saturday.
“I know I can’t play forever so always look at things with a positive perspective.
“I’ve found mental performance has had a big impact on my game and consistency this year.”
Coach Ryan Hendy has seen a clear step up in the two-time best and fairest’s footy in 2024.
“It’s the best season of local footy I’ve ever seen,” Hendy said.
“He’s at a different level – he’s so fit and has worked so hard on getting himself right.
“He came back from Darwin in unbelievable condition and his preparation and training standards are unbelievable.”
A common discussion among Panthers onlookers is what Hillis’ forward-midfield split should be; isolate him deep and he doesn’t lose a one-on-one, but you lose his power around the footy.
What’s certain is he’s the team’s barometer.
Coming to terms with that has been part of his leadership growth.
“My leadership is better this year – having so much young talent, you get such a joy of helping them out and thriving,” Hillis said.
“They bring energy and giving them the best environment to play good footy has helped my footy.
“It reminds me of when I first started and having boys who helped me out – I want to be that person for our players coming through.”
With three rounds remaining until finals, Hillis is keen for the ultimate test.
Built for the big stage, Devon Meadows’ struggles since his debut in 2015 mean he has played only four finals, all in the last two seasons.
“That period was definitely hard – you don’t think about it too much when you’re down the bottom, but when you reflect it was a grind and you wonder how you got through it,” Hillis admits.
“Finals is so exciting though – you feel like a little kid again.
“On Friday night, you’re nervous and feel pressure and then the energy is up on gameday.
“We haven’t won a flag in our history so you want to be the first people to do it.”
