St Kilda General Manager of Football Simon Lethlean has maintained the club remains upbeat heading into their Round 1 match against Gold Coast, despite their injury-ravaged pre-season.
Paddy McCartin (concussion) and Dylan Roberton (heart condition) were both hospitalised after last Sunday’s JLT Community Series match against the Western Bulldogs to add to an already lengthy injury-list.
Jake Carlisle (back), Jack Steven (mental health), Dan Hannebery (hamstring), Nathan Brown (suspended) and Billy Longer (hamstring) will all miss the Saints’ season opener against the Suns on Sunday.
Lethlean says there are several players who are “chomping at the bit” to get an opportunity at senior level after staking their claims during the JLT Series.
“You’ve got 46 players and squads win games,” Lethlean told SEN’s The Captain's Run.
“There are players like (Ben) Long, (Hunter) Clark, (Luke) Dunstan, Matthew Parker, (Josh) Bruce and others who are in really good form and ready to go.
“There are opportunities for guys like (Rowan) Marshall and for (Jack) Sinclair and (Jack) Billings to step up, there’s some new speed in (Nick) Hind and (Robert) Young who are all ready to go, so it’s not doom and gloom for us.
“We’d love to have (Jake) Carlisle, Paddy (McCartin) and Robbo (Dylan Roberton) playing, but there’s some guys who have been trained up all summer to play certain roles.
“They’re chomping at the bit just like Dom Sheed was when (Andrew) Gaff went down last year, these guys are ready to go and they’re keen and they will represent the club well.
“The proof will be in the pudding when the games start, but the vibe here is good and it’s because everyone’s organised in a good program, we’re ok.”
In total, the Saints have 14 players unavailable for their Round 1 match against the Suns at Marvel Stadium.
