St Kilda midfielder Hunter Clark will play in the VFL this weekend as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury.
Clark, 23, underwent surgery after spraining his AC joint in an AAMI Community Series match against Essendon in March.
The former top 10 draft pick collected 28 disposals in his first hit-out for Sandringham earlier this month, but didn’t play on the weekend as the Zebras had a bye.
“He played one game, not last week but the week before, in the VFL and they had a bye this week which is real shame. He was building momentum,” Ratten told SEN Breakfast.
“He needed another game. I think he got close to 30 possessions, but it wasn’t the Hunter Clark that we knew. We need him to hit through the ball a bit more and use the ball a little bit better.
“He’ll play this week at VFL level.”
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Ratten is pleased with Mitchito Owens and Jack Bytel’s VFL form as they continue to press for AFL selection.
Owens made his St Kilda debut against Collingwood in Round 1, his sole AFL appearance this season to date, while Bytel is yet to feature at senior level in 2022.
“We gave him (Owens) a freshen up and he kicked two goals last week and had 32 possessions and nine or 10 clearances,” Ratten said.
“Some of our kids at VFL level are going really well.
“Jack Bytel is another that’s finding a lot of the ball. The depth is pretty good. A couple of players not quite ready to come in, but they’re not far away either.”
Ratten also confirmed that captain Jack Steele will undergo shoulder surgery early this week that will sideline him for six weeks.
Steele sustained the injury in St Kilda’s 10-point win over Geelong on Saturday.