Following Sandringham’s clash with Port Melbourne on Saturday, St Kilda Development Coach and VFL Senior Coach Jake Batchelor runs through each Saint who played in the Zebras' Round 2 loss.

Ryan Byrnes

It was another strong outing for Byrnes, who managed to pick up 25 disposals in a classy performance.

“Byrnsey was good, especially in the first half. He was clean for us, and once again, he’s got a good running ability that we might have been missing,” Batchelor said.

“To have him back over the last couple of weeks has been really good. He’s got the ability to play inside, but high-forward as well. We probably saw him mainly as a mid this weekend.

“The flexibility in his role is going to make us better as a team.”

Paddy Ryder

In what was Ryder’s first display for competitive footy for the year, the All-Australian did not look like he had lost a step, claiming 18 disposals, 32 hit-outs and a goal in a strong performance.

“Paddy was good for us,” Batchelor said.

“He was strong in the ruck, but his follow up work was probably the best part of his game. He started the game well.

“Obviously he hasn’t played footy in eight weeks, so he was really excited to get back out there and be really competitive.

“He had a well-rounded game for the whole four quarters.”

Luke Dunstan

Dunstan had a mammoth display, racking up 46 disposals in a fantastic day for the 26-year-old.

“Luke had a lot of touches,” Batchelor said.

“I think he benefitted from having Paddy in there. When you have 46, it means you’re doing a lot right, you’re getting to the ball, and getting to some good spots for us.

“What I enjoyed the most about him though, were his patterns ahead and behind the ball. It wasn’t just in the contested side of things.

“He worked his backside off.” 

Paul Hunter

Extra ruck duties in the second half saw Hunter collect 13 disposals, 26 hit-outs and kick two majors.

“Paul was good. He probably played more forward in the first half, and then rucked more in the second half.”

“Like Paddy, his follow-up work was really good. As a forward-line, we are a bit tall, so we need to get a little bit better at working together and making it less predictable for the opposition.

“But as a ruck, his number-one craft, he was really solid.”

Shaun McKernan

McKernan was another who had an ample showing, slotting two majors to go along with his 14 disposals.

“Shaun was good, he probably could’ve had another really good day, but he had a couple of missed opportunities in the third quarter, with a couple of dropped marks and missed goals,” Batchelor said.

“But he competed well. A lot of the time, he was in a one-v-two, and managed to bring the ball to ground.

“A couple of little patterning things for Shaun going forward, but he competed well in the air, and might get a bit more ruck-time next week.”

Oscar Clavarino

Clavarino was solid down back, collecting 11 touches for the game.

“Clav was not as good as last week, obviously, because that was a pretty good game, but he still impacted where he could,” Batchelor said.

“He had a fairly inexperienced backline, and he took the leadership role on board. At times, he tried to do a little too much, and got caught out.

“He just needed to go back to what he is good at, which is running and jumping at the ball, and marking it. He did that a couple of times in the second half, which was good to see.

“It was a good learning curve for him.” 

Leo Connolly

Connolly managed to rack up 19 disposals as he continued his form off the half-back flank.

“Leo was good, running off half-back,” Batchelor  said.

“He’s actually a barometer for us around the contest. We know when he does the basics right, he’s going to have a good day, because his attack is always there.

“We’re constantly working on his ability to take space away from the opposition, and really hurt them when they get the ball, but also win it when it’s there as well.

“He’s starting to find a good balance of that.”

Matthew Allison

Allison continued his development as he played on the wing, collecting six touches.

“Matt was good, he played more of a wing-role this week, and he has a huge running capacity.”

It allowed him to work up and down the wings, to get ahead of the ball, and behind the ball as well. It’s a similar role to the high half-forward, so it’s not a massive change for him.

“We saw some good signs, and it’s something we’ll look at, because for a bloke with his height and his running ability, it just gives us a bit more flexibility.” 

Dean Kent

Playing in a forward position, Dean Kent collected 16 disposals against Port Melbourne, as well as two majors.

“Kenty played more of a forward role this week,” the coach said.

“Like the rest of us, when we did the fundamentals well, like we did in the first half, it kept the scoreboard ticking over.

“Kenty’s explosion was still there, but the overall impact wasn’t there as much. It’ll be a good chance to see how he responds this week.”