ST KILDA'S season can improve but only if the team does the work required, according to St Kilda’s champion Lenny Hayes.

With coach Alan Richardson describing Sunday’s 96-point loss to Geelong was the worst for the season, Hayes agreed with his coach’s blunt assessment, but preferred to look ahead to this week’s training plan at Monday morning’s recovery media conference.

“I’m looking forward to hitting the track,” the 288-gamer said.

“We have to get our hands dirty and get back to basics and come out and play some hard and tough footy next week… We need to really hone our skills at the moment.

“The coaches have a pretty large say with what we do throughout the week. We were really uncompetitive yesterday for large portions of the game, more so than any other losses we’ve had.”

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But throughout Hayes’ 16 years at the elite level, he’s seen first-hand how quickly things can turn around provided the right structures and cultures are present.

“In 2002 we finished maybe last on the ladder, and two years later we were a kick away from a Grand Final. It can be done. It’s not just going to happen, we have to work hard, and all the players are prepared to do that,” he said.

When asked how Richardson responded to the defeat at Simonds Stadium, the veteran was unequivocal in his support for the first-year coach.

“He was really hard on us yesterday and he should have been. He just put it to us, individually and collectively as our team, about our effort.

“We just have to find out who wants to play for the club, who is going to put their head over it when they have to and who is going to do all those hard things. That was the brunt of the message.”
And as is the case with Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna, part of Hayes’ responsibilities in 2014 include acting as a part-time assistant coach out on the field and helping the younger brigade of players blossom into consistent AFL footballers.

“You are always trying to work with the coach to get the best out of the team and he’s relied on a few of us older guys to be almost a playing coach out there at times because we certainly are quite inexperienced,” he said.

“We’ve had a few tough losses this year, but I still see my role as being pretty vital to the team going forward.”
But like any developing team, experienced heads are required to guide the next generation through, and for this reason Hayes is looking forward to Sam Fisher’s potential return from injury in the near future.

The defender hasn’t played for the Saints for over a year after toe, back and hamstring problems.

“He played yesterday (in Sandringham’s development team). He got through really well and he’s moving really well at training. I hope he can come back into the team this week. He’s a great player and I think people forget how good he has been: a dual All-Australian and a couple of B&F’s.”

As for Hayes’ future plans, he hasn’t ruled out playing on into a 17th season in 2015, and said that he will sit down with the appropriate people in the next month or so to get a gauge of where things are placed.

“It’s always a decision that you make you in conjunction to where the club is at, where the team is at, where my body is at and things like that,” he said.