Jack Silvagni has revealed his excitement at joining St Kilda after his free agency move was one of many confirmed on Friday

New St Kilda defender Jack Silvagni has declared his old club Carlton would “always be a part of me” as the Saints locked in their man in a frenetic opening to the free-agency window. Carlton was handed a compensation pick at the end of the first round of the draft, currently pick No. 19, as free agency compensation following the departure of the son of Blues legend Stephen, who now works at the Saints. “I’m incredibly excited to be joining St Kilda and starting this new chapter,” Jack Silvagni said. “The Saints have a strong mix of established talent and exciting young players, and I feel I can add to that with my experience, versatility and drive to compete. “As a young father, this decision is also about building the next stage of my life with my wife Grace and our son Charlie. The opportunity to grow both on and off the field in a stable and supportive environment was really important in making this choice “Carlton will always be part of me. It’s where I grew up, where my AFL career began, and it’s deeply connected to my family and our history in the game,” Silvagni said. “I’ll always be grateful for the experiences I had there and the people who supported me. But now I’m looking forward with full focus on the Saints, and doing everything I can to help us push forward.” Silvagni played 128 games in 10 years at Carlton and now joins the Saints on a four-year-deal where he’ll be joined by former Blues teammate Tom de Koning with paperwork lodged for his shift as well on Friday morning. HAWK BECOMES A CAT Hawthorn best and fairest winner James Worpel looks headed to Geelong after a fast-flowing opening to the AFL’s free agency period. In the opening hour on Friday morning, paperwork was lodged for De Koning and Silvagni to confirm their moves to St Kilda, followed by Worpel’s request to get to the Cats. It opens the door for negotiation now, giving the Hawks three days to decide whether they match the bid and force a trade or allow the move to go through and receive a compensation pick from the AFL. Worpel, 26, has played 148 games for the Hawks and won the club best and fairest in 2019. One of the easier deals was Jacob Wehr’s move from GWS to Port Adelaide as an unrestricted free agent.