St Kilda head coach Brett Ratten announced on Wednesday morning that his side would likely be bolstered with a swathe of returning talent for their Friday night date with the beleaguered Blues.
Ratten, who will coach against his former side for the third time this weekend, signalled that ruckman Rowan Marshall, half-back Hunter Clark, defensive interceptor Tom Highmore and offensive livewire Jack Higgins were all on track for returns to the senior team in Round 20.
โHiggins trained really well today. Clark trained well. Highmore trained really well, actually and Rohan Marshall as well. So, it looks like we could get four back,โ he said.
โWeโve got our meeting at post this just to finalize the team, but all four will be really close.โ
In spite of these returns, the news was not all positive for St Kilda fans, as Jack Sinclair will miss out due to a hamstring strain.
Sinclair was another notable absentee at Linton Street this morning, with Ratten initially claiming that the dashing half-back flanker was simply being managed.
However, it has since been revealed that the 2014 rookie draftee had suffered a low-grade hamstring strain in the Saints' loss to the Eagles in Perth last Saturday.
The timeline for Sinclair's return remains unknown at this stage, but if he has succumb to a similar ailment to the one suffered by fellow defender Nick Coffield earlier in the year, the mulleted Saint can expect to miss around a month of action.
Should the 26-year-old's strain be judged at this aforementioned level, he may miss the remainder of St Kilda's push for a place in the eight.
Fellow rebounder Clark trained this morning and was reported to be feeling comfortable over the ball after breaking his jaw in several places following a collision with Adelaide veteran David Mackay in Round 13.
Having ticked all of the boxes that were placed ahead of him by the Saintsโ medical staff, Ratten stated that the former top 10 draftee was good to go.
โSome players react a little bit different from a broken jaw and it can take a little bit of time, but he seemed to be pretty comfortable in that space,โ he said.
Although the 50-year-old was pleased with how Clark had been operating on the training track, he was hopeful that his attack on the ball wouldnโt be muted in the future.
โHopefully heโs as ferocious as ever,โ Ratten told media via Zoom.
โI donโt see that he will have an issue with it. He trained really well today and really put his head over the footy.
SEE ALSO: Heir to the throne? How Max King stacks up with the AFL's best key forwards
โHistory has shown that some players have struggled with it a little bit, but I think that heโll be fine.โ
After being forced into isolation following his visit to a Tier 1 exposure site in Melbourne ahead of the Saints' clash with West Coast, Rowan Marshall has also made a strong case to face the 13th placed Blues.
Despite still being cacooned in an Airbnb in Perth, the Kiwi-born Marshall has reportedly done enough in his down time to put himself in the selection frame.
โI think heโll be fine,โ Ratten explained.
โEverybody has had a few chats with him, itโs not like he hasnโt had the contact with everybody. Heโs had a program to do.
โItโs quite unique whatโs happened and how he has to deal with it in the build up to this game, but heโs a professional.โ
With the Saints asked to operate off a six-day break after their clash with Carlton was shifted from the original timeslot of Saturday afternoon, Marshall's partner in crime, Paddy Ryder, was given Wednesday morning off.
At 33, the second member of the Moorabbin ruck club may need to used sparingly if his career is to be extended, but when asked whether the former Power and Bombers big man would sit out this weekend, Ratten explained it wasn't his preference.
โI think with his age, itโs a week-by week thing to make sure that heโs okay and that heโs going to get through," he said.
โHeโs such an important player for us and we donโt want to take a risk with him, so if we think heโs too sore or he canโt get up, he wonโt play.
SEE ALSO: What if the ball had bounced up for Stephen Milne in the 2010 Grand Final?
โThe plans are to play him, so if everything keeps moving forward, he will. If thereโs a hiccup, he wonโt.โ
In further injury news, utility Daniel McKenzie will miss another week after suffering a head knock against Port Adelaide a fortnight ago.
McKenzie had been enjoying a fruitful period since his return to AFL level this season, but given his history with concussions, Ratten explained that the 25-year-old had been medically ruled out.
Ratten's Saints will face the Blues at Marvel Stadium on Friday night at 7:50pm AEST.
