St Kilda sit atop the AFL ladder as the conclusion of Round 4 nears, an unexpected result in Ross Lyon's first season back as senior coach.
The Saints have welcomed new and familiar faces since Lyon's return, with a host of former players joining the coaching staff, while new recruits have quickly made themselves at home at Moorabbin.
Former Blue Liam Stocker has played all four matches for his new club after being delisted by Carlton, joining the club as a Supplemental Selection Period pick-up in January.
Speaking to AFL Nation, Stocker said playing under Lyon had "empowered" him following his arrival.
โI'm having a lot of fun,โ Stocker said to AFL Nation.
โObviously the scenario when I came here was pretty dire, to be honest getting delisted.
โBut Ross empowered me, he told me what my strengths were and that was kind of all I needed, a bit of encouragement.
โI'm loving this group of boys, everyone worked really hard in the off-season to get us into this position.
โNow when we get into that point in games we can draw on it and that's what I enjoy most, I got to earn my trust again.โ
The undefeated Saints head into Gather Round with a blockbuster clash against Collingwood looming. Despite their place on top of the ladder, Stocker said the club isn't getting ahead of themselves.
โIt is (good),โ Stocker said.
โBut so far the really important thing is sticking to the process.
โIt's what we spoke about inside the rooms with Ross, sticking to the process and let's not get too high or too low.
โWe'll continue to do that because it's working for us.โ
Despite sitting on top of the ladder with a 4-0 record, the Saints are still dealing with an ever-growing injury list, with Jack Bytel the latest addition.
Bytel entered the game in the fourth term as the tactical sub, but was soon helped from the ground with an ankle injury. Despite initial fears, Lyon is hopeful Bytel hasn't suffered a fracture.
"We felt sick in the box. We replayed it and thought it was an ACL," Lyon said.
"It's a high-grade ankle injury but until we scan it we don't know. We think there's no fracture."
