Former Saint Aaron Hamill is please with Michael Gardiner's form this year after the two spent plenty of time together in rehabilitation during Hamill's playing days.

"We did a fair bit of running and a fair bit of swimming that year," Hamill said.

"You could tell that he had a real determination to play regular footy again.

"Footy means a lot to him. You could see that in his professional attitude to training. He prepared himself so well that you just knew that he wanted to get back again."