And it appears the chance of a late change to their line-up is high after Sam Gilbert – who is returning ahead of schedule from a foot fracture – did the bare minimum in the captain's run on Friday.  

With key midfielders Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna suspended and Jack Steven missing, coach Alan Richardson has included three AFL debutants and former Hawk Shane Savage in his side. 

Richardson acknowledged on Friday it would be a young midfield that faced the Demons at Etihad Stadium, but backed them – and Armitage in particular – to rise to the challenge. 

"He'll be the one that will be responsible, probably more than most, to set a fantastic example physically and from a running perspective, and it's a great opportunity for David," the coach said. 

"We'll expect that from our leaders every week, but given he's going to have some fairly inexperienced fellas around him, he'll be the one that will drive that.

"We wouldn't be picking those blokes if we didn't think they could play the role.

"We're confident we've got a group that will be really competitive through the midfield."

Gilbert had surgery on his left foot at the start of February and emerged as a surprise selection earlier this week. 

He largely watched the light captain's run from the sidelines and didn't appear to break into anything more than a slow jog, but Richardson remained optimistic about his position before the session. 

"It was certainly not a major [break]. It was a fracture, he was able to do a lot of work pretty quickly in terms of staying in good shape," he said. 

"He'd had an enormous pre-season so his minutes and load in terms of preparation were really strong.

"He has a history of being able to perform to expectation after an extended break so we're really confident he'll be able to play his role."

The Saints' three emergencies of Tom Lee, Trent Dennis-Lane and Seb Ross were all part of the light hit-out. 

The Demons will be missing a raft of forwards and talls including Chris Dawes, Mitch Clark, Jesse Hogan, Mark Jamar and Max Gawn, which Richardson said influenced the Saints’ decision not play former Greater Western Sydney backman Josh Bruce. 

St Kilda has named draftees Jack Billings and Luke Dunstan, plus elevated rookie Eli Templeton and ex-North Melbourne defender Luke Delaney. 

Richardson admitted he didn't think Billings, last year's No.3 overall draft selection, would play this early after an interrupted pre-season but said the talented midfielder pressed his case strongly in last week's Sandringham hit-out. 

"We've had to hold him back a little bit," he said. 

"His body hasn't quite been able to cope with all the work that you'd like to get into them prior to round one.

"His last game against Frankston in the VFL was really strong and suggested that he's much more likely to be able to cope with the game. We'll have to be a little bit mindful of the minutes we get through Jack but long-term, he's going to be an outstanding player."

The Saints have announced Melbourne-based property company Watersun as their coaches' sponsor under a three-year agreement.