St Kilda veteran Dan Hannebery recorded a team-high 29 disposals on Saturday in what was a successful return to football with the Sandringham Zebras in the VFL.
Hannebery has been hampered by groin and hamstring setbacks in recent years, with the 31-year-old limited to just 15 matches from a possible 80 games for the Saints.
The St Kilda midfielder managed to feature in the Saints' final two matches of last season before facing further ailments in the build-up to this year.
His highly-anticipated move to Moorabbin at the 2018 season has been heavily criticised due to the ex-Swan's inability to get on the park, but a return to AFL level may be on the horizon.
In his outing at Piranha Park against the Coburg Lions on Saturday afternoon, Hannebery recorded 7 inside 50s, 5 clearances and 3 marks to go along with his 29 possessions for the Zebras.
Sandringham ran out the match 28-point victors, with Jake Batchelor's side recording their seventh win of the year to jump into ninth on the ladder.
AFL-listed players Tom Campbell (26 disposals, 45 hit-outs, 14 clearances, 1 goal), Jack Bytel (25 disposals, 6 clearances, 6 inside 50s) and Jarrod Lienert (21 disposals, 5 marks) were among Sandringham's best.
The trio, along with Hannebery, have pressed their case for a potential recall into Brett Ratten's squad, who fell to the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
The Saints are now seeing their finals hopes fleeting with five matches remaining, with Ratten likely needing to source four wins against the Eagles, Hawks, Cats, Lions and Swans in their run home.
Should Hannebry remain in the reserves for another week, the mature midfielder will face Port Melbourne at Trevor Barker Oval next Sunday.
