Jack Steele is looming as a likely inclusion for the Saints in Round 6, having missed the club's wins over Essendon and Gold Coast while sidelined with a broken collarbone.
The Saints skipper was training in a non-contact hat on Wednesday, per 7 News' Mitch Cleary, with senior coach Ross Lyon confident he will be ready for a senior return against Carlton.
Steele hasn't played since Round 2 against the Western Bulldogs, when scans revealed the skipper would require surgery after breaking his collarbone. Speaking to media on Wednesday, Lyon revealed that Steele would be available for selection upon St Kilda's return from Gather Round.
"Next week Jack Steele will be available," Lyon said.
"He'll play. He'll play against the Blues."
Tim Membrey remains a chance to play this weekend, but will need to get through training throughout the week to prove his case on the selection table.
The makeshift Saints forward line has been holding up impressively in the absence of both Membrey and young gun Max King, with Lyon admitting that gave the selection committee something to think about.
"He's in our leadership group. He's been a very experienced forward for a fair bit of time, but he's saying that our incumbents have been getting the job done," Lyon said.
"So he needs to show that he's up and about and he feels confident his body. He's done a fair bit of work.
"So then we've got a match committee, and we look at the Collingwood team and so there's a lot of variables that go into it. At at this point he's still got to jump through some hoops."
The undefeated Saints will travel to Adelaide to take on Collingwood in Gather Round, hoping to soar to a 5-0 start. The Pies, who head into Round 5 with a 3-1 record of their own, loom as the club's biggest challenge so far, but one Lyon is keen to meet.
"We feel like we are learning and improving," Lyon said.
"We aim to win, but the AFL tells you you're not going to win every week."
"We're only four games in, but we've got some confidence in our system and our personnel and our leadership that but we know this is big challenge.
"It's a good challenge but it's one we're keen to meet."
