LEIGH Montagna says this season has been a "bit of a nothing year" on a personal front as St Kilda has struggled for victories.

The Saints are in a rebuilding phase that was set out before the season as the "Road to 2018", with the long-term view to include draft and recruiting strategies, an expanded membership base and the refurbishment of Moorabbin.

The strategy is designed to deliver the club's second premiership before 2020.

While Montagna said the senior players had taken on a more "selfless" role this year, he admitted the Saints' four-win season had been hard to take.

"No doubt it's been a tough season. You reflect on it and in some ways you almost feel like it's personally a bit of a nothing year," Montagna told SEN on Wednesday morning.

"I know the club is moving in the right direction and we're playing a lot of young kids and it's all going to be beneficial in the future, but you look back and nothing has been really achieved from the year personally.

"It can be quite difficult but you also understand if you're going to play for 15 years you're going to have some years where you have success and other years where you don't.

"That's all part of it so you've sort of got to keep it in perspective."

Montagna said new coach Alan Richardson had been influential in keeping the older Saints, who were entrenched when the club was playing in Grand Finals in 2009-10, motivated.

"That's where this year Alan Richardson has been really good, particularly with the leadership group," he said.

"He's spoken to us on a weekly basis, been open and honest, giving us different challenges and things to work on with the playing group.

"That's what it's been more about for the older guys this year – it's been more of a selfless role where we're really trying to educate the younger guys, help them with their football and develop them as quickly as we can so our success is closer."

Montagna is contracted until the end of 2016, which will take him to 15 years in the AFL.

He said he was optimistic the wheel would turn for the Saints before he retired.

"(I) do have a bit of disappointment about the season but you know the club's heading in the right direction, you know that's going to be the case and you've just got to be patient and hang in there," he said.

"Hopefully I'm still around when the upside starts to turn around in our favour."

Montagna tipped captain Nick Riewoldt and retiring veteran Lenny Hayes as the main contenders for next Friday night's club best and fairest.

He said he believed Riewoldt would claim the award after Hayes' body has restricted him in recent weeks from maintaining his early-season form.