Coach Alan Richardson said Taylor, a former Gold Coast defender, and ex-Adelaide pair Petrenko and McKernan had shown positive signs in the short time they'd been with the first-to-four year Saints.

 

Taylor - a second-round draft pick in 2010 who played 10 games before being cut last month - finished third in last Friday's two-kilometre time trial, behind Jack Newnes and Sandringham-listed player Jack Noone.

 

Noone is another invited to train with the Saints ahead of the November 27 NAB AFL Draft, along with his Sandringham teammates Cameron Banfield, Elliot le Grice and Kenny Ong.

 

Richardson said there was "certainly some opportunity" regarding the three ex-AFL players, given their different positions and skills.

 

But he said a decision on whether they would be taken in the pre-season or rookie drafts would hinge on what happened in the national draft.

 

"If we get into the pre-season draft selection/rookie selection and there's some real talent there, and we think, 'Gee, we didn't think they would still be there', we'll go that way," Richardson told AFL.com.au this week.

 

"But there's a chance that if that's not the case then we might rate these guys quite highly … and (former Saint) Ahmed [Saad] would also be in that category.

 

"They have no illusions about where the opportunity sits; at this stage we just want to see how they fit in with the group and how hard they work and for me to get to know them as fellas.

 

"We want good people and good character and so far they've been really impressive so we'll wait and see."

 

Exciting midfielder Eli Templeton is an example of a player who surprised the Saints when he was overlooked in last year's national draft.

 

It enabled them to pounce on the Tasmanian youngster with the third selection overall in the rookie draft.

 

The Saints have since elevated Templeton to the senior list after he played six games this year before he broke his arm.

 

Veteran Saint Adam Schneider will start training with the rest of the players next week after being delisted, with St Kilda committed to re-drafting him as a rookie.

 

Meanwhile, former Western Bulldog Jason Tutt has started training with Carlton after delisting himself from the Dogs.

 

Tutt will nominate for the pre-season draft, which is where he is poised to become a Blue. 

 

Players who were delisted and will keep training with their clubs in the hope of a second chance, likely via the rookie list, include Tony Armstrong (Collingwood), Greg Broughton (Gold Coast), Luke Tapscott (Melbourne), Cameron Delaney and Max Warren (North Melbourne), and Brett Goodes, Alex Greenwood and Daniel Pearce (Western Bulldogs).

 

Brisbane Lions tagger Andrew Raines is hopeful of a start at a third AFL club and has been granted permission to train with the Suns.

 

Essendon has invited two of its VFL players - Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Sam Tagliabue - to start pre-season with the club.

 

Tipungwuti is considered a livewire who has built his endurance to be able to play anywhere on the field while Tagliabue is 206cm and moved to the club this year from Sydney's local competition.

 

And the Demons have invited Casey foursome Mitchell Gent, Edward Morris, James Munro and Bryce Rutherford to train with them, along with Tapscott.

 

Carlton - Jason Tutt (Western Bulldogs)

Collingwood - Tony Armstrong (Collingwood)

Essendon - Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Essendon VFL), Sam Tagliabue (Essendon VFL)

Gold Coast - Greg Broughton (Gold Coast), Andrew Raines (Brisbane Lions)

Melbourne - Mitchell Gent (Casey Scorpions), Edward Morris (Casey Scorpions), James Munro (Casey Scorpions), Bryce Rutherford (Casey Scorpions), Luke Tapscott (Melbourne)

North Melbourne - Cameron Delaney (North Melbourne), Max Warren (North Melbourne)

St Kilda - Cameron Banfield (Sandringham), Elliot le Grice (Sandringham), Shaun McKernan (Adelaide), Jack Noone (Sandringham), Kenny Ong (Sandringham), Jared Petrenko (Adelaide), Adam Schneider (St Kilda), Jeremy Taylor (Gold Coast)

Western Bulldogs - Brett Goodes (Western Bulldogs), Alex Greenwood (Western Bulldogs), Daniel Pearce (Western Bulldogs)