The eyes of the football world will be on St Kilda and Port Adelaide as they butt heads at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

Get all the latest from Ross Lyon as the Saints attempt to keep surfing their wave of momentum.

The lid is firmly on

Excitement is palpable in the Saints community after a 5-1 start to season 2023, but the Boss isn’t letting his troops get ahead of themselves.

St Kilda’s game style has been built on full-team commitment, leading to the top-ranked defence in the competition, and the Saints are determined to maintain their effort for the remainder of the campaign.

Ross says… “Our goals are really clear: every session give as much as we can, concentrate and learn. We’re just in a state of continuous improvement.

“You can’t play and win finals until you earn the right, so we’re just inching forward. If you look too far ahead, you trip over. We’ve just got to stay in the moment, that’s the art-form of elite sport.”

Max on track

Talking about excitement, star forward Max King isn’t too far away.

King has been slowly integrated into main training in his return from shoulder and hamstring injuries and is on track to feature in the coming month.

Ross says… “He’s rehabbing really well. He trained incredibly on the weekend. He’ll be out there doing the first three training drills today…that’s getting exciting.”

It doesn’t get any easier

A rejuvenated Port Adelaide outfit on a three-game winning streak pose a serious challenge for the Saints under the Friday night lights at Marvel Stadium.

The Power rank first for contested possessions and tackles in 2023, led by a talented midfield core of Ollie Wines, Connor Rozee, Travis Boak, Zac Butters and Jason Horne-Francis.

The in-form Saints will need to be at their best to switch off the Power.

Ross says… “Every week there’s a lot of pressure, that’s why we get paid the danger money. Port Adelaide are a really strong club and well coached, so we expect a fierce battle.”

Bring the noise

Saints fans have appeared in their droves over the first six rounds of the year, including a record home-and-away crowd at the MCG in Round 3.

A boisterous home crowd can help a team create momentum and the boss wants to see a sea of red, white and black descend on Docklands for the prime time clash.

Ross says… “Marvel was rocking last week, so we’d love to get plenty of Saints fans there.

“What we want to give our supporters is when they rock up, they’re proud of our effort, win or lose.”

Adding pieces to the puzzle

Tim Membrey made an instant impact in his AFL return against the Blues, recording 12 touches, seven marks and kicking 1.2.

In the VFL, Jack Billings played his first minutes of the season in a 22-touch, three-goal outing for Sandringham.

As the Saints’ injury list gradually dwindles, the boss is keen to add some talent and experience to the mix.

Ross says… “Tim Membrey came back and added a bit. It’s great to be able to add players throughout the year as they return.

“We think there’s some sustainability. We know we’re fit, enthusiastic and vibrant and our system has stood up – not perfectly, by the way – against different teams.

“We believe in what we’re doing but we understand there’s going to be challenges. We’ll just keep chipping away.”