While many of them, including Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna and Sean Dempster will have likely retired by the time the Saints' "strategic framework" delivers the club's next premiership, he believes they're on board with the direction. 

Last week for the Saints was all about the release of the blueprint that is designed to take the club to a premiership before 2020. 

This week has been all about a rookie coach with a relatively inexperienced squad planning to face Melbourne, a team that has won just six games across the past two seasons yet will enter Saturday night's clash as favourites. 

The Saints, a week after outlining the process that is expected to deliver a top-four finish before 2018, aren't wasting any time in getting that plan moving. 

Three debutants – Jack Billings, Luke Dunstan and Eli Templeton – have been named to face the Demons, along with ex-Hawk Shane Savage and former North Melbourne defender Luke Delaney. 

Those players are the ones the Saints plan on having around when their long-term vision is supposed to start delivering finals, along with the likes of Nathan Wright, Josh Saunders, Tom Curren, Jack Newnes, David Armitage and Jarryn Geary.

But what about the likes of Riewoldt and Dempster and, while they're not playing against the Demons, Montagna and Hayes, given they've already seen teammates Brendon Goddard and Nick Dal Santo leave in search of an elusive flag? 

Richardson admitted on Friday that the Saints' better football would come later in the season as the younger players found their feet, meaning early games against the Demons and Greater Western Sydney might not deliver results expected by the club 12 months ago. 

Despite that reality, Richardson has praised his older leaders throughout the summer, impressed by the determination they've shown to bring through the next generation and set the club back on the path to the finals.  

Richardson believes there's no reason why the older players aren't encouraged by the long-term plan, even if they won't be around when it culminates.  

"I'd be surprised and disappointed if any of that stuff was anything but a positive in any way," Richardson said on Friday.  

"It won't influence their minds in terms of the way they prepare, but to know that their footy club is making decisions from now until then based on giving ourselves the best opportunity to succeed, I think that's only beneficial."

Richardson, finally in a senior role after working at five clubs in a range of assistant and coaching roles, has been loathe to talk about himself since taking the job last November. 

On Friday, an excited Richardson was confident the young team would give a solid effort against the Demons and didn't have "the butterflies", but wondering if they'd come later. 

He said he hadn't had too much time to think about himself in the lead-up to the game, despite a number of media appointments where the focus was often him. 

He said the Demons' favouritism in the betting markets wasn't something St Kilda had considered, and exploiting their lack of talls forward of the ball came second to wanting the side to do what it had worked on all summer. 

The heavy focus on round one has bemused him, as has the interest in just what will become of the Saints if they lose to the Demons and the Giants next week. 

But he's faced every media conference and interview with a calmness influenced by knowing it's going to take time for the wheel to turn – and that the club is clear on what the next five years look like.   

"The reality is, it's pretty clear that we're rebuilding as a footy side and our footy later in the year is much more likely to be better than it is … Dunstan, the three first-gamers, they're going to be better later than they are now in terms of the footy they play," Richardson said.

"There's got to be a bit of reality put in there, but we'll be going out to play hard footy and look to win every game we play.

"There'll be great opportunities for young players to live up to the expectations of the team and of the club."

Richardson's key performance indicators include a strong emphasis on team defence and to ensure the players are strong and aggressive in attacking the ball and the man. 

He only had a few games this pre-season to see whether his mark has been made yet; to see if they are running better, putting on more pressure forward of centre and using the ball better. 

He believes it's so far, so good. 

"There's so much you've done in your program up until round one to see what the players can and can't do, have they embraced what you're after in terms of the way you want to play and the way you want them to train," he said. 

"Without exception, they've ticked all those boxes.

"I'm really confident in terms of turning up and knowing what we're going to get.

"We need to make sure we execute really strongly to get the result, but in terms of blokes understanding their role and playing with the effort required, I'm really confident the boys are going to be in a pretty good space."