St Kilda midfielder Koby Stevens says his recent bout of salmonella poisoning left him feeling the sickest he has been in his life.
Stevens, 25, made a belated debut for the Saints in Launceston on Saturday, starring with 28 disposals and two goals as St Kilda thumped Hawthorn by 75 points.
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St Kilda returned to form with a 75 point victory over a disappointing Hawthorn in Launceston.
Traded from the Western Bulldogs at the end of last season, Stevens' first game for his third AFL club was delayed after a dodgy meal rudely interrupted his pre-season. "I got a bit of salmonella when we were away for the last JLT series game [in Albury]," Stevens said.
"I'm not sure where or what I ate, still trying to figure that one out! I ended up in hospital for about a week and lost about eight kilos so it took me a good three weeks to get over that."
The midfielder – who also previously played for West Coast – said the illness had taken a significant toll on his body. "I've never been so sick in my life," he said.
"It really rocked my body a fair bit. But we've got great doctors and they worked with me. The hardest thing was just getting back into training because I'd lost a lot of muscle as well. That was tough."
There was however a silver lining. "I got to eat what I wanted for a couple of weeks!" Stevens said.
"[A] bit of everything. Bit of Italian pizzas!"
![Worth the wait: Koby Stevens made 28 disposals and kicked two goals in his much-awaited Saints debut.](/web/20170508203902im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/v/n/p/j/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gvvnc1.png/1493526113939.jpg)
Despite his turbulent build-up, Stevens was happy with the way he played against the Hawks. "Obviously [I was] nervous coming into a new club and just wanted to play my role for the boys, but I felt really good," he said.
"I've built my fitness up over the last couple of weeks and felt like I was running really strongly."
Saints coach Alan Richardson agreed. "His preparation to be frank wasn't ideal," Richardson said.
"So it's a real testament to him and our conditioning staff to get him to a level where he can have such a strong performance."
St Kilda (3-3) now turn their attention to in-form Greater Western Sydney who they face on Friday night at Etihad Stadium. Young forward Paddy McCartin kicked seven goals for Sandringham against Collingwood in the VFLÂ on Saturday to push case his for a senior recall.
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