A replacement for injured ruckman Paddy Ryder is yet to be decided for Round 19, with Brett Ratten not ruling out the possibility of a one-ruck approach for Sunday. 

Rowan Marshall (illness) was a noticeable absentee at this morning’s main training but will make the trip west in two days’ time, while experienced ruckman Tom Campbell was also away from RSEA Park due to previously approved study commitments.

The Saints experimented with Mason Wood and Jarrod Lienert in the back-up role throughout this morning’s main session, with previous pinch-hitters Josh Battle and Cooper Sharman both playing behind the ball.

“Paddy’s out and out for a while, so we’re just going to have a bit of a look at it and decide at match committee and see whether we go two rucks or one going forward this week,” Ratten told reporters this morning.

“Big Ro will do most of the work and Tommy Campbell is in good form, but we could experiment with something else as well.

“(Rowan’s) just a bit crook, no COVID. He’s tested four times and he’s been negative. He has had a bit of a workload over the last few weeks that we’ve just managed.”

Eagle Bailey Williams has shouldered the bulk of West Coast’s ruck duties in the absence of Nic Naitanui (knee), with counterpart Callum Jamieson (adductor) a test for this week after being subbed out in the early stages of last week’s match against Essendon.

Ratten was hopeful Ryder would be available to play in the latter stages of the year, saying another campaign for the 34-year-old would be discussed post-season.

Sunday shapes as a must-win for the Saints should they remain in contention for a place in September, with matches still to come against Hawthorn, Geelong, Brisbane and Sydney to consolidate a potential finals berth.

While Ratten couldn’t confirm widespread selection changes this week, the axe is hovering above a handful of experienced players who have underperformed in 2022.

“We’ve had a few discussions about our team. There are some players that have been spoken to already and there are some that will be out of our team for the weekend," Ratten said.

“We’ll make those decisions this afternoon – we wanted to see how players trained before we selected them – but if they stay in the team, they’ll be lucky. They’ll get a chance to respond and if they don’t, they’ll have to work damn hard to get back in.

“That’s not just about our young kids whose form fluctuates, these are players that are in our team that have been around for a while and we need a lift, we need more from them in regards to how they go about it."

The Saints appear likely to regain Seb Ross from AFL Health & Safety Protocols, while Hunter Clark trained well this morning to put his hand up for selection three weeks after facial surgery.

Jack Bytel and Dan Hannebery will play at least another week at VFL level after returning from respective injury setbacks. Sandringham are due for another bye next week, with Ratten bullish the pair could be in consideration for Round 20 against Hawthorn.

Ratten was also confident both Saturday's post-game review and Monday's honest team meeting has resonated among the playing group, with a transfer of this morning's purposeful and intense training session into Sunday's clash with the Eagles priority one.

“Sometimes when things don’t go well for you, you go into your shell and then you lose a bit of confidence and your reaction to the opposition is always secondary – they beat you to the ball, they move quicker because you go inward. That’s what we found on the weekend… we reacted," Ratten said.

“The good teams of the competition are the ones that actually ask the question of their teammate to spark them into getting into gear. When they’re challenged, it’s not just about going insular, you’ve actually got to talk more and ask more of your teammates.

“The vision which we put out every week, that’s something that we’ve done from Noosa and it allows our fans to see the journey that we’re on, whether we play really well or not so well. That (post-game) meeting went for 36 minutes and I think everyone got four minutes, so there’s a little bit more conversation than what you guys heard.

“There’s a bigger picture here and that’s just not in the next six weeks but next year as well, it’s one of the cultural things (in) that we need to get that voice up and we need to get that resilience up when we’re under pressure. That’s not about West Coast this week or Hawthorn the week later, that’s moving forward so we don’t get ourselves into a position where we get challenged and don’t come up with a solution or response."

St Kilda will lodge a 26-man squad tonight before finalising its starting 22 tomorrow.