St Kilda's off-season midfield acquisition Paddy Dow will have to prove his worthiness for senior selection in the reserves this weekend, with coach Ross Lyon confirming the injury-struck recruit will line up for Sandringham on Saturday.
The 24-year-old former Blue joined the Saints over the off-season after a long stint on the outskirts of the Carlton midfield brigade where opportunities were seldom.
He entered the 2024 season with a nagging knee concern and has become fit for selection after a scratch-match sample on Saturday, but will again have to wait for his chance while the injury heals fully.
"It is, in a sense, like a fracture," coach Ross Lyon told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the Port Adelaide clash.
"He's feeling good but we've got to set him up for success so he'll play VFL this weekend" he confirmed.
Ross has confirmed Paddy Dow will make his return via the VFL this week for @sandyzebs on Saturday ๐
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) April 24, 2024
The news comes as a surprise to those who kept tabs on St Kilda's injury updates over the last week, with development coach Jake Batchelor beefing up Dow's potential debut.
"Paddy came back looking powerful out in the midfield, dominating the clearancesโฆ his body work around stoppage was good as well as his power and explosion inside 50," Batchelor said following St Kilda's Saturday scratch-match.
"Hunter (Clark) played the first twenty-minute block and had a lot of stream out of centre bounce. He was classy with the ball and his clearance work was good. They (he and Dow) worked really well together."
A host of other Saints, including Hunter Clark, are also set to return soon, with Mason Wood and Ben Paton featuring in the same practice hitout.
Wood, who suffered a brutal head knock and collarbone injury in the Round 2 win over Collingwood, and Paton, who is recovering from a ruptured pec, are only just returning to contact training and were direct opponents in Saturday's hit-out.
Star forward Max King will need to prove his fitness ahead of Friday night's Power clash. St Kilda are taking careful precaution following his knee injury suffered in their one-point loss to GWS.
"It's not guaranteed, but it's looking more likely," Lyon said about King's availability.
"Obviously he's pretty important to us... I'm hoping he gets up as well."
With Dan Butler going down with a hamstring during the Thursday night loss to the Bulldogs, Saints fans will hope King can prove his fitness to replace the outgoing forward in what shapes as a must-win clash for the club's 2024 finals aspirations.
The Saints will kick-off Friday night at 7:40pm at the Adelaide Oval while the Sandringham Zebras face the Northern Bullants on Saturday at 2:05pm at home.
