St Kilda young gun Jade Gresham has passed the first test in his bid to put a frustrating two years behind him, displaying glimpses of his A-Grade talent in Thursday afternoon's intraclub at RSEA Park.

The 24-year-old hasn’t played a senior game since rupturing his Achilles against Essendon in round three last season, after missing the second half of 2020 due to a stress fracture in his back. 

But with former captain Jarryn Geary, midfielder Dan Hannebery, ruckman Paddy Ryder and wingman Jack Billings all watching on from the grandstand at Moorabbin – all are still a chance to play in round one – Gresham showed why he could provide Brett Ratten with the major boost the Saints need to bounce back into the top-eight in 2022. 

The 2015 first-round pick has followed a carefully planned program over the pre-season, overcoming a few niggles in his recovery but building to a point where he is now almost ready to return when the Saints face Collingwood on the first Friday night of the season. 

Gresham played the opening half and the first five minutes of the third quarter as planned, zipping through the middle and in attack, and is expected to increase his game time to three quarters against Carlton next Thursday ahead of a full hit-out in the AAMI Community Series clash with Essendon on the eve of the season.

"He had some minutes he needed to get to and it was just about getting through today; he was pretty nervous before the game. I think he is starting to get a bit of confidence back which is good for us and hopefully scary for the opposition," St Kilda forwards coach Brendon Lade said after the hitout.

"He hasn’t really missed a beat this summer. He had a few setbacks here and there, but generally, he's been very, very good. He's improved his running and will play a bit forward and midfield, which is exciting."

Bradley Hill and Zak Jones both tore the game open between the arcs for much of the game, taking plenty of bounces and using their pinpoint foot skills to create scoring opportunities. Hill has spent the summer playing at half-back and is set to be used there in 2022, alongside Jack Sinclair, who also shone on Thursday after finishing second in the Trevor Barker Award last season.

With Coffield undergoing a knee reconstruction on Thursday after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in Ballarat earlier this month, St Kilda's match committee will also take a good look at utility Josh Battle – who battled impressively against star spearhead Max King despite giving away 11cm – behind the ball over the next few weeks ahead of round one. 

After bursting onto the scene by kicking 10 goals in the final month of last season – including a haul of four in round 23 – Cooper Sharman showed why he should be in Ratten's round one side, slotting three goals in another eye-catching display from the mid-season recruit.

St Kilda will head to Ikon Park next Thursday to play four quarters against the Blues, before Sandringham faces Carlton's reserves side afterwards, where Hannebery is most likely to get some game time if he gets through training next week. 

Billings is expected to play against Carlton next week after suffering a minor hamstring tweak earlier this month, while both Geary and Ryder are more likely to be available for selection in a month, which could rule veteran pair out of round one.

St Kilda announced on Thursday that Danny Frawley's famous No. 2 guernsey will hang inside the newly built Danny Frawley Health and Wellness Centre at RSEA Park in 2022, following the retirement of Jake Carlisle at the end of last season, with first-round draftee Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to wear the iconic No.7 in his first season, most famously worn by Nicky Winmar and Lenny Hayes.