ST KILDA has made a late change to its team to face Brisbane on Friday night, losing key position player Cooper Sharman.

Sharman has been replaced by Tom Campbell, who will play his first game in almost two years and just his third overall for the Saints.

It's yet another disruption for Ross Lyon's team that has been forced into a number of changes after winning back-to-back matches against West Coast and Gold Coast in the past fortnight.

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Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (managed), Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard (both injured) are all absent from the team that defeated the Suns, while Tim Membrey was dropped.

The Lions are unchanged from the outfit that handed the Western Bulldogs a 43-point defeat last Friday night.

Zak Jones is St Kilda's sub, while Noah Answerth will start as Brisbane's sub.

The battle for places in the top eight could hardly be hotter as the two teams meet in what looms as a critical clash for both sides to open round 14.

The Lions are showing signs of returning to the sort of form that made them a top-four regular in recent seasons.

They impressed when brushing aside the Western Bulldogs last week, but the 2023 runners-up now needs to make it back-to-back victories for the first time since round five if they are to stay in touch with the top eight.

The Saints rode their own luck to clinch a second consecutive victory in a nailbiter against Gold Coast, a week after turning around their form in the second against West Coast.

But they are still two wins out of the top eight with a poor percentage all but putting them a further game behind, and can ill-afford to slip up even against the gradually improving Lions.

Brisbane v St Kilda at the Gabba, 7.40pm AEST

LATE CHANGES
St Kilda: Cooper Sharman, replaced in the selected side by Tom Campbell

SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Noah Answerth
St Kilda: Zac Jones