St Kilda's prodigal son Lenny Hayes has claimed that the Saints' list has been "wrongly criticised" in recent seasons, stating there was enough talent already at Linton Street to surprise a few this season.
Following seven seasons as an assistant with the Giants, Hayes announced his return to Moorabbin in August 2022, linking up with familiar faces Brendon Goddard, Robert Harvey and Ross Lyon for the club's 150th season.
Speaking on SEN Radio, the three-time club champion backed his charges, professing that injuries had played a role in keeping the Saints from reaching their ceiling.
"At times the list has been wrongly criticised. When you drill down on it, it is a pretty talented list that has had some bad injuries the last few seasons. I am excited with the list we possess," Hayes said.
With three All-Australians, a Norm Smith and Hall of Fame status, Hayes remains a revered figure amongst St Kilda's congregation. And having fallen short of tasting the ultimate success during his playing days, the steely midfielder stressed he had unfinished business.
"All we ever want is the club to be successful long term. I am back to try and help them do that," Hayes added.
"You take it personally when you see the criticism of the club you love. We want to build something sustainable for a long period."
The task ahead of the former skipper and his reunited teammates became a yard tougher after key spearhead Max King went down with a shoulder injury after the Christmas break.
Though set to sit out the opening months of the season, King's sidelining had done little to hinder his hunger, with the forward using the layoff to work on deficiencies in his game.
"Even though Max is injured at the moment, he is still working a lot on his kicking. He is a big loss, but he will come back bigger and stronger," Hayes revealed.
Having spent five of his 18 seasons as a Saint playing under Lyon, Hayes is unlikely to have been caught off guard by the idiosyncratic steward.
Yet, unlike his first tenure as head honcho, Hayes claimed that Lyon had loosened many of his reins, allowing his assistants to work without inhibition.
"He has really allowed us to formulate the gameplan and given us some freedom in our roles," the former pupil said.
"He has been open in letting us do our roles. He has taking a bit of a back seat at training and in drills, it is more of an overseeing approach."
St Kilda is set to start its sesquicentennial season when they face off against Fremantle on Sunday, March 19 at Marvel Stadium.
