Saints great Nick Riewoldt has set his pass mark for his former club St. Kilda in the lead up to the 2019 AFL season.

Following a disastrous 2018 campaign that saw the club stumble to just four wins and one draw, the six-time club champion expects the Saints to double their premiership points in 2019.

โ€œI think coming from a four-win season, the eight-to-ten wins is probably a realistic expectationโ€, Riewoldt told SEN Afternoons.

โ€œClearly you come in with a softer draw on the back of the poor performance and if you win the games that you should win and then pinch a few on the way, eight-to-ten is probably realistic at this stage.

โ€œIโ€™m just looking for marked improvement across the board really.โ€

Ten wins would represent a drastic improvement for a Saints outfit that had won only one game at the mid-way point of 2018.

As the club continues itโ€™s preseason preparations, draftee Jack Bytel underwent surgery last week to repair a bulging disc in his lower back, with an expected four-to-six week recovery period.

On a positive note, the club is buoyed by the expectation that star defender Dylan Roberton is set to return in the JLT Community Series, ten months after an on-field heart scare saw him shut down for the remainder of 2018 season.

St. Kilda start their preseason campaign on Saturday March 2nd against North Melbourne.