The former Warners Bay coach will be part of a 40-strong contingent of friends and family at Giants Stadium on Sunday to watch Hunter debut in the country's premier Aussie rules competition.

It comes a decade after Deitz pulled Hunter, now aged 28, out of under 18s to play Black Diamond Cup for the Bulldogs and later join forces at Redlands in NEAFL.

Hunter, who spent four years at the Adelaide Crows but never scored a game with the top squad, gets a long-awaited chance on the main stage as a ruckman in St Kilda's season opener for 2021.

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"I think it's an unreal story for any kid in Newcastle playing AFL that you can get there through sheer hard work and never giving up," Deitz told the Newcastle Herald on Friday.

"It's been a 10-year journey for Paul and hopefully this is the first of many games for the Saints for him."

Deitz, now working with the Gold Coast Suns academy in North Queensland and travelling down to Sydney for the milestone, said Hunter's "athleticism" stood out.

"I think from the Warners Bay days the initial thing that stood out was his athleticism for a player that size," he said.

"We didn't have a genuine ruck one week so we threw him in out of the under 18s comp and he just grew in confidence and self belief over the back end of the year."

Deitz said Hunter took a "punt" to head north in 2012 but his time at Redlands helped shape him as a player.

"I was moving to Brissy to get into coaching and he decided to take the punt and come along with no guarantees," Deitz said.

"We had a fantastic group of leaders at Redlands who set great standards and Paul bought into that culture and the work ethic quite quickly.

"Whilst he didn't get a senior opportunity in his first year he definitely showed super resilience ... which resulted in shaping the player he is today."

Hunter, who will be joined in the dressing sheds by his Redhead-based parents and three siblings for a jersey presentation before the bounce against GWS, makes his maiden appearance alongside Saints draft pick Tom Highmore.

"Both boys have waited for a fair chunk of time to get the opportunity, with Paul at 28, and it will be great for him to play," St Kilda coach Brett Ratten told the club's media.

"Players have got their own story, but they all have the opportunity to make a mark on their own AFL careers."

The former SFX student, who was delisted by the Crows in 2019 and lined up for South Adelaide in the SANFL last year, was signed by St Kilda in February.

Saints ruckman Rowan Marshall (foot) and Paddy Ryder (personal leave) are both unavailable.

Maitland-born Isaac Heeney, a Cardiff Hawks product, returns from injury after being named at full forward for the Swans' round-one encounter against the Lions in Brisbane on Saturday.

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