Homecoming of sorts as Roberton joins St Kilda - Sydney Morning Herald

Dylan Roberton gets a kick away from Fremantle in July. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

ST KILDA has made former Fremantle defender Dylan Roberton the AFL's latest delisted free agent signing, Robertson having boarded a plane to join the Saints at their altitude camp in Colorado.

Roberton, 21, has been recruited to help out St Kilda's stocks of taller defenders, an area the Saints were unable to redress during the trade period when they sought to acquire Mitch Brown from West Coast. Roberton, who is 191cm, managed 10 games for the Dockers this year, for a career tally of 37 over three years.

Roberton's move to the Saints will be a homecoming of sorts, given that he played his junior footy at a local club in Frankston, near St Kilda's Seaford base. Roberton has been training with the Saints.

Another delisted Docker, Nick Lower, is training with the Western Bulldogs, who could also snare him as a delisted free agent. The Dockers had indicated they would re-draft Lower, but as a delisted player he can cross to the club of his choice without having to go through the draft (the pre-season or rookie draft in this case). Lower, 25, would become a three club player if he joined the Dogs, having started at Port Adelaide.

St Kilda's signing of Roberton - who, in effect, is the last player on the club's senior list - follows the signing as delisted free agents of former Geelong players Tom Gillies and Jonathan Simpkin, who signed with Melbourne and Hawthorn respectively.

Roberton can play on both talls and smalls, but has not shown the body strength to man the bigger bodied forwards. He fared relatively well in the 2011 season, his second, when he managed 14 games for the Dockers before an ankle injury hampered him late in the season.

While delisted players can join the club of their choice without passing through a draft, Collingwood will have to use the rookie draft to pick up its ruck recruit - and ruck coach Ben Hudson, whom the club has recruited in a similar role to Greater Western Sydney's Dean Brogan, who doubled as a part-time coach and player for the Giants this year, returning from retirement.

Far fewer players will be recruited in the rookie draft this year, due to the AFL's reduction of rookies from six to four per club.