St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has all but confirmed that forward Cooper Sharman will take his place in the senior side for Saturday's clash against Richmond.
Sharman will return from pre-season surgery on his thumb, pending that he completes Thursday's training session.
Lyon also confirmed that Liam Stocker (concussion) and Hunter Clark (abdomen) will miss the contest with the Tigers, which could open the door for a pair of debutants.
High-end draftee Tobie Travaglia will debut for the Saints after an outstanding performance in the VFL over the weekend.
The Pick 8 in last year's draft recorded 25 disposals and nine tackles against Geelong.
Travaglia will become the fifth debutant for St Kilda in 2025, following Harry Boyd, Liam O'Connell, Max Hall and Isaac Keeler.
"He's (Travaglia) in the mix. We've got a couple to get through today but we did lose a couple," Lyon said earlier on Thursday.
another blonde bombshell has entered the villa... pic.twitter.com/tVaLhgpLVs
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) March 27, 2025
"Stocker with concussion. Can you have a low-level concussion? I think it is because all his markers are back.
"It was a great tackle and chase down, I am still marinating in that one, and then Hunter Clark has an abdominal issue.
"We're really disappointed in that one (Clark) because we need continuity to build a great season.
"(Cooper) Sharman will definitely play as long as he gets through today. He looks a million bucks, then from there we have to make a decision on the balance of the team."
Youngster Isaac Keeler, who impressed in his debut last week, will also retain his spot in the senior side while the untried Hugh Boxshall isn't far away.
Former Carlton midfielder Jack Carroll could also be in the frame to debut for his new club after dominating in the reserves.
Carroll amassed 26 possessions, 13 clearances and 10 tackles and could be earmarked to replace Clark.
Richmond has previously been touted as easy beats in 2025 due to the list overhaul that saw them with eight draftees from last year.
Lyon fully "understands the threats of complacency" when coming up against a young side, saying he's fallen in that trap before.
The Tigers shocked the AFL world when knocking off Carlton in Round 1 after announcing three debutants and playing a young side.
But they were brought back to earth after Port Adelaide dismantled Adem Yze's team by 72 points.
"We're not in a position to (be complacent). I had teams in the past where I just kicked them down the race, and they won," Lyon said.
The club, in a bid to change the narrative surrounding the familial connections, has relaunched its father-son and daughter academy.
"We got to a level, our DNA of how we competed, how we played and the list capabilities were really strong.
"Every opponent is tough… I do like other coaches' press conferences because they give you insights, and every coach talks about the evenness of the competition."
