Lloyd Johnson steps down after five years at the club’s helm, but will continue as a board member and reserves coach this year.
The Saints are the latest club in Goulburn Valley League to have a new face at the helm in the past month — with Brendan Bicknell named Shepparton’s president in December.
Hill is no stranger to Saints faithful, having volunteered and assisted at the club in various roles for more than 20 years.
A Benalla resident, Hill played his junior footy at the Saints before he was selected by North Melbourne to train in its under-19 system, later making the move down south.
Hill returned to Benalla in 1995 and coached the Saints’ thirds to a premiership in the club’s final year in the Ovens and Murray Football League in 1996-97, and then to another flag in the club’s first year back in Goulburn Valley League in 1998.
The new president said he hoped to pick up where his predecessor left off in the club’s rebuilding process after a difficult 2022.
“Lloyd’s done a fantastic job for the past five years he’s been involved,” Hill said.
“It’s no secret last year was very hard for the club not having players available.”
The Saints finished the 2022 football season in 10th and struggled to field a reserves outfit throughout the year after a pre-season player exodus.
Hill said a major focus of his tenure would be assembling competitive lists across the football and netball teams.
“As a group we’ve worked very hard over the last three to four months to attract players back to the club, we’re looking to have four footy teams this year and be a bit more competitive on the field,” he said.
“We just want to consolidate the position we have found ourselves in, COVID’s been tough on all clubs and all leagues the past few years, now it’s about building the club back to an environment that people want to come to enjoy local sport in the community.”
Early signs suggest 2023 will be a much brighter year on-field for Benalla.
Former Saints David Mennen, Nick Mellington, Tom Bennett and Nick Brazil have been announced as player signings, further strengthening the club’s core.
“They’re all local boys who have committed to come home and play local footy,” Hill said.
“We’ve attracted back a core group of guys who had been at the club who will help fill those firsts and seconds positions.
“We’re not trying to set too high an expectation at this stage, but we hope to be a lot more competitive this year.”
