At a glance:

• Paddy Ryder is building nicely towards a senior return from injury, but will be without Rowan Marshall for the first time as a Saint.
• The 32-year-old played all 14 of his matches last year alongside Marshall, with the pair adding brilliant ammunition to the Saints' engine room.
• Ryder says SPP recruit Paul Hunter "hasn't put a foot wrong" since arriving at St Kilda and is in contention for Round 1.

Veteran ruckman Paddy Ryder is on track to make his return to senior footy in just over a fortnight’s time against GWS, but will be without Rowan Marshall for the first time heading into year two as a Saint.

All 14 of the 32-year-old’s matches from last year were played in tandem with his younger counterpart, with the duo forming one of the most effective ruck partnerships in the league.

But with Marshall off-legs for the next few weeks and a Round 1 berth out of the equation, Ryder – all going well in his build-up to the season opener – will be flying without his partner in crime.

“It definitely will be different,” Ryder told saints.com.au.

“I rely on Rowan a lot to be able to do what I do, and I reckon he probably relies on me a little bit too, so we’ve been able to form a really good partnership.

“Hopefully he can get his foot right and we can get him back out there as soon as we can, because he’s such an important part of our team, and just personally, he’s important for me as well.”

Ryder (eighth) and Marshall (fourth) polled strongly in last season’s Trevor Barker Award, each kicked over 10 goals and charted second in the league for hit-outs to advantage and goals directly from centre bounce.

After hamstring tendon surgery cut the veteran’s campaign short following his mammoth elimination final, Ryder made his return to competitive football during last Thurday’s practice match against North Melbourne.

Ryder was managed with two-and-a-half quarters' game-time and shared ruck duties with SPP pick-up Paul Hunter during the 91-point win.

The South Adelaide recruit is now firming to fill the void left by Marshall for Round 1.

“Big Pauly Hunter has come in and he hasn’t set a foot wrong since he walked through the door,” Ryder said.

“He sees his opportunity and got that spot on the list, so I reckon I’ll be doing a fair bit of work with him at least until we get Rowan, and then I reckon there’ll be some good competition between the three of us which will be great for the side.

“This year going back to longer quarters, that’ll work well for me. It’s probably best that I don’t play every game, just to leave a little bit in the tank as we get through the season.

“From what I’ve seen from big Hunter, he wants a spot and he wants a crack.”