Since arriving at St Kilda at the end of 2017, GM of Football Simon Lethlean has been completing a well-publicised review of the entire football program.

And one man who has consistently stood out is captain Jarryn Geary.

Speaking exclusively on the Saints Insider podcast, Lethlean was emphatic in his praise for the Saints’ skipper.

“Gears is a standout leader for us,” he said.

He’s had a pre-season where he’s demanded a lot of the playing group, and I think he had a big influence on the standards and professionalism of how the boys have been training and preparing.”

A relative newcomer to the football club, Lethlean compared the understated Geary to Australian test captain Tim Paine as “the right guy at the right time”.

“I’ve got to know Jarryn now the last 14 months I’ve been here, and new players that have come to the club this year have also noticed and understood why Gears is captain,” Lethlean explained.

“He’s very invested, he’s strong on the playing group and what his expectations are … he’s not our highest profile player, but he’s the right guy at the right time to lead a group and seek performance and standards that are at the highest level.

“He’s certainly the right person for that and does a very good job with it.”

Listen to the Saints Insider season premiere in full below.

EPISODE GUIDE

01:25 – Jarryn Geary & the captaincy

03:18 – Seb Ross as vice-captain

03:55 – Dylan Roberton’s return

05:10 – AFLX

07:49 – Saturday’s Intra-club

08:30 – Match sim standouts

09:31 – JLT expectations

10:31 – Mature-agers in R1?

11:44 – Darren O’Shaughnessy (DOS) and data-crunching

13:57 – RSEA Park construction update

14:58 – AFLW signings

16:28 – Simon Says: AFLX footy colour, the ‘Lebanese Dragon’, and Jimmy and Richo’s Tassie trip