ST KILDA is prepared to give Nick Riewoldt as long as he needs before he returns to football, with coach Alan Richardson not putting a timeframe on the skipper’s comeback.
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But in the meantime, Richardson has assembled a new-look forward line that he hopes will give the Saints more goal-kicking options when Riewoldt does return.
Paddy McCartin and Tom Lee will hold down the primary key forward posts on Saturday afternoon, while Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce have the potential to play a variety of roles in the front half.
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At the feet of this multi-dimensional quartet will be Ahmed Saad and Jack Lonie, completing a forward line that boasts a healthy range of goal kicking options.
“We just expect a strong contest from our forwards,” Richardson said on Friday morning.
“Paddy [McCartin] is incredibly exciting. He’s a real competitor and he’s obviously a really talented player. We just need him to play his role, enjoy it, get used to the tempo, we need to get some synergy between our kickers and our catchers, and he’s a catcher, it’s all part of it.
“Our expectation would be that he’d play 75 per cent of the game.”
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Tom Lee’s 2014 campaign was cut short by persistent shoulder complaints, but following a strong pre-season in which he has impressed both on the track and in the gym, the 194cm Western Australian is poised for a drastic lift in output.
“There’s no doubt that Tommy’s had a really good run at it,” Richardson said.
“He hasn’t missed a beat on the track, he’s worked hard, he looks different, he’s bulked up, he’s running with a lot more power on the training track and our numbers suggest that.
“I’m really looking forward to watching Tommy strut his stuff.”
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Another re-born Saint who Richardson is excited to see is Ahmed Saad, the popular small forward who missed the entire 2014 season due to suspension.
Saad has played 29 AFL games since debuting in 2012, booting 45 majors. Although his natural ability is clear for all to see, his value to the playing group is measured far beyond goals and stats.
“Ahmed has fitted in well. He’s a really bubbly personality, he’s quite a cheeky fella and he actually is one of our more senior players given he’s 25 years of age,” Richardson said.
“We’re a pretty young group, but he’ll add a bit of speed and a bit of class to the front half we’re really looking forward to him playing a significant role for us.”
Ahmed Saad a training on Friday.
Yet as is the case for ruckman Jason Holmes tomorrow, Saad’s potential selection during the home and away season will be dependent on a currently senior-listed player getting injured - given his rookie status.
But this is not to say the Saints won’t unearth a hidden gem in this year’s pre-season competition as the club did this time last year.
“There’ll be some guys that’ll get opportunities given that we can’t play rookies in the season proper, we’ll have a look at some rookies in this campaign and perhaps we can find another Eli Templeton,” Richardson said.
“We also want to make sure that we create the right habits and winning is one of those.
“We’ve selected a team that will give us the best opportunity, but there’s no doubt that this campaign is about preparing the team for round one.”
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When quizzed about Spencer White’s non-selection, Richardson said the young forward was doing all the right things but is still considered an exciting project player rather than a ready-made prospect.
“Spence was reasonable for us last week in the intra club,” he said.
“He’s still got some work to do in his game, but he’s heading in the right direction.”
The team and coaching staff travelled to Brisbane on Friday afternoon.
