St Kilda will unveil AFL No.1 draft pick Paddy McCartin at Saturday's intraclub match and he could play in the much-discussed Essendon game.
Coach Alan Richardson is rapt with how the key forward has coped with his first pre-season, saying his only hiccup had been a skin infection before Christmas.
The Saints have confirmed McCartin will line up in Saturday's game at their Seaford headquarters.
Richardson is unsure whether he will blood him in their opening NAB Challenge game against the Bombers on March 7 in Morwell.
Essendon will field a team heavy with top-up players as they await the verdict from the AFL anti-doping tribunal hearing into their 2012 supplements scandal.
"He's preparing really well - if he was sitting here, he'd certainly be putting his hand up," Richardson told SEN.
"We'll make a decision for the team and if he's in really good form, if he has a real understanding of his role, if physically he's in good enough shape ... without any compromise to his long-term, then absolutely he'll play.
"There are a few ifs in there, but he couldn't be doing any more."
Richardson and chief executive Matt Finnis spoke at length on Tuesday about the state of the club, saying the Saints were raising expectations on and off the field.
After making the 2009-10 grand finals, the Saints have plummeted.
They were bottom last season and the widespread expectation is they will take the wooden spoon again.
They have also struggled badly with finances and membership.
But the Saints have a new major sponsor and are bullish about members, saying they are about 4000 ahead of this time last year.
Richardson plans to be much tougher on his team this year, saying players would have to earn senior selection.
"It would be fair to say that last year, some young guys got games because we were not overly healthy," he said.
"We need to be much better and much more consistent with our performance.
"We are a young group, but if you're good enough, you're old enough.
"We need to raise expectations."
Finnis said they were continuing to look at the feasibility of making some sort of return to their old Junction Oval ground.
They are also committed to a redevelopment of their most recent home at Moorabbin and will base a VFL team out of there from 2017.
"People are quite sad - some are quite angry - that we've allowed Moorabbin to get into the state that it is right now," Finnis said.
"It really doesn't befit the standing, the heritage role it's had in this club's history.
"We're going to revitalise Moorabbin ... give it the respect it deserves.
"There's no doubt we have to improve our connection with people and something like Junction Oval would be tremendously symbolic of moving closer to our heartland."
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