A strong summer on the track, in which he further enhanced his already sizeable aerobic capacity, had the nippy on-baller primed by the time round one came around.
19 touches, seven tackles and one goal against Melbourne was the perfect way to start his second year at St Kilda.
RELATED: WIN with Saints Future Fest
However, as is often the case with up-and-coming players, a flat spot in the middle of the season forced the 20-year-old to take stock and force his way back into the senior team.“I started the year in the AFL fairly well and played the first seven games,” Saunders told SAINTS.com.au.
“Then I dropped away a little bit, but I think I played fairly well towards the end of the year in the VFL.”
VIDEO: Courageous Saunders gets crunched
Now 20 games into what promises to be a long and successful career, Saunders has signed on until the end of 2016 as part of the Saints Future Fest campaign.“It’s really exciting,” he said.
“A lot of younger boys have all put pen to paper so hopefully we can build some good foundations going forward.”
“It’s a pretty tight-knit group and we all have that same direction, so hopefully if we all knuckle down we can get some real success soon.”
RELATED: Saunders a rap for Richo
St Kilda's Head of Football Chris Pelchen is adamant that Saunders future lies as fleet-footed midfielder capable of pushing forward, rather than the other way around.
"Josh is an energetic young player who has provided genuine run and carry for the Saints forward of the centre," Pelchen told SAINTS.com.au.
"His running ability provides a real example to the other players on the training track. As he develops a mature body, we anticipate he will be able to spend some more time through the midfield."
Saunders was drafted from Geelong with pick No.43 in the 2012 National Draft. He’s played 10 games in each of his first two years at the club and cites consistency on the track and on match day as the key to gaining a regular spot in the senior team.“I just need to be more consistent at training and through games so that show the coaches and the players that I’m up to that standard and am capable of playing some reasonable footy.”
