ST KILDA spearhead Paddy McCartin has escaped another suspected concussion, but is in doubt for next Saturday night's clash against Fremantle after suffering whiplash.
McCartin was involved in an accidental head clash with Melbourne defender Neville Jetta midway through the second quarter of the Saints' 39-point loss at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The former No.1 draft pick had suffered six separate concussions since 2014 before Sunday's game and the incident sparked fears he had suffered yet another episode.
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St Kilda coach Alan Richardson told reporters after the game McCartin had passed a concussion test, but had suffered whiplash in the clash with Jetta that eventually forced him out of the match midway through the final term.
"From a concussion perspective, he's all clear. In fact, his cog-state test at half-time was as good as it's been. Paddy's had a couple (of concussions) as we know, so that was positive," Richardson said.
McCartin came back on the ground early in the third term, but his day ended prematurely midway through the final quarter.
"He got pretty bad whiplash and so that was the reason he didn't come back on the ground. He's pretty sore in the neck," Richardson said.
Asked whether he expected McCartin would be fit to take on the Dockers at Optus Stadium, Richardson said: "We'll have to wait and see how he pulls up."
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The Saints coach also confirmed McCartin, who has type one diabetes, also spent time off the ground during the first term because his blood sugar levels were high.
But Richardson said this was the first occasion the forward had experienced problems with his diabetes for "a long time".
"The doctors and Paddy are right on top of the way that they manage that," Richardson said.
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Sam Gilbert and Shane Savage came from the ground with injuries in the last term, but Richardson was optimistic they would be available to play Fremantle.
"Gilbo's rolled his ankle. We've got a shorter break and a flight this week, so we'll just have to wait and see. He's a bit of a warrior, Gilbo, so he'll do everything right," he said.
"'Sav' (was involved in) a pretty big collision, (a) corkie was my understanding from that one. I'd be presuming he'd be okay."
The Saints' effort against the Demons could not be faulted, but their skills let them down time and time again, while their 9.13 return in front of goal continued a horror run in which they have kicked 45.78 since round one.
Richardson conceded such chronic inaccuracy was becoming "deflating" for his team.
"You're not going to beat anyone given how even the competition is unless you can take advantage of your opportunities," he said.
"Our inability to be able to make the most of those opportunities continues to be a challenge. You start to think about what it's doing to the rest of them and clearly it's something we've got to fix.
"It's pretty clear we're in a hole, a win-loss hole, a making-the-most-of-our-opportunities hole. Our overall footy is in a hole.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing who stands up. My responsibility is to make sure we're doing the right things on the training track and that my messaging gives them the sort of headspace you'd want to go out and really be proactive and go out and go after your game.
"And then the rest of it is up to the boys."
