After banking a valuable four points last Sunday, St Kilda has its sights set on bringing down an in-form Brisbane outfit.

The Lions are only a game and some percentage off from sitting on top of the AFL ladder, currently residing at third position after they resisted a spirited Adelaide side to come away with a 52-point win last week.

Saturday night against Brisbane is just the next in a number sizeable challenges for the Saints, but the potential return of a hard-hitting midfielder from injury could make an important difference this weekend.

Zak Jones

St Kilda's midfield could be bolstered on Saturday night, with Zak Jones a chance to line up against Brisbane.

Before suffering a quad injury in May that would sideline him for nearly two months, Jones was in strong form, averaging 22 disposals and four tackles per game.

His last two matches before the injury saw him put up impressive numbers against Hawthorn (37 disposals, two goals, seven clearances) and Gold Coast (31 disposals, seven tackles, six clearances), leading the Saints to victory on both occasions.

With skipper Jack Steele, Luke Dunstan and Brad Crouch shouldering responsibilities in the midfield in Jones’ absence, some additional support in the engine room will be well received.

Dean Kent

Concussion had kept Dean Kent out of action for nearly a month, but in just his second game back in the VFL, the 27-year-old is certainly making up for lost time.

The former Demon collected 18 disposals in a solid outing against the Magpies, also grabbing six marks and six tackles for the Zebras.

It came off the back of a 26-disposal, one-goal performance against the Tigers the week before in what was the forward’s first game back since May.

It's been a tough slog for the small forward this season, but after two strong games for Sandringham, the third-year Saint is doing all the right things to press towards a senior return in 2021.

Darragh Joyce

With the injured Nick Coffield still some time away from a return, the opportunity is there for Darragh Joyce to push his case at the selection table.

The Irishman worked well in defence alongside fellow Saints Oscar Clavarino and Matthew Allison in the VFL this weekend, nabbing 22 disposals and five marks inside defensive-50.

It was his second consecutive game with 20 disposals or more following an impressive 10-mark display against Richmond last fortnight.

The 24-year-old was last seen in St Kilda colours during the Round 9 win against the Suns.

In Contention

Despite being on limited minutes in last weekend's VFL game, Jack Lonie still managed to pack an impact for the Zebras.

The carryover emergency for St Kilda's match later that afternoon slotted two majors from 11 touches at the Holden Centre, with his second allowing Sandringham to keep in touch of their opposition.

Meanwhile, Oscar Clavarino had another solid outing for the Zebras, and will be looking to work his way back into AFL contention in the coming weeks.

The young defender had 12 touches, five marks and a goal against Richmond before putting together a 16-disposal, 10-mark game against Collingwood a week later.

Ruckman Paul Hunter also fought hard against Collingwood’s Max Lynch, pulling down 26 hit-outs to go along with eight disposals and one major.