The footy world was caught by surprised before New Year’s Eve when Roughead departed St Kilda half-way through the pre-season.

It was reported Roughead made up his mind about moving on from St Kilda before Christmas.

The four-time premiership winner’s departure came as the Saints continued their coaching shake-up under Ross Lyon with several senior members of the coaching staff moving on.

Roughead, meanwhile, is returning to the Hawks in a recruitment role, according to Channel 9’s Tom Morris.

The football reporter posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Roughead’s position is a full-time role and will see him focus on list management and trades.

The 36-year-old had been with St Kilda since 2019 and served in a number of roles, including as an assistant coach.

Roughead was a favourite-son at the Hawks as a popular character with teammates and fans.

He retired at the end of the 2019 AFL season

A two-time All-Australian, Coleman Medallist and former club captain, Roughead played 283 games for the Hawks.

Roughead is fondly remembered not just for his on-field achievements but for the courage he showed during his battle with cancer.

The key forward was diagnosed with a recurrence of melanoma in May 2016 but returned at the start of 2017 after successfully undergoing treatment.