Didn't catch St Kilda's season-opener against Melbourne on telly last weekend? Didn't see the Saints in their waterlogged NAB Cup outing against the Lions in Cairns in February? Worry not - and read on for a special lions.com.au snapshot of Easter Thursday's visitors to the Gabba.

THE CLUB

Formed: 1873Joined AFL/VFL: 1897Premierships: One - 1966.Last finals appearance: 2006, elimination final

2006 AT A GLANCE

After going down narrowly to eventual premiers Sydney in the 2005 preliminary final, the Saints entered 2006 as many good judges' pick for the team most likely to challenge West Coast and the Swans. Unfortunately, these good judges didn't count on another horrible year for injuries at Moorabbin. Aaron Hamill, Lenny Hayes, Justin Koschitzke and Xavier and Raphael Clarke missed 72 games between them and Matt Maguire suffered a horrendous, season-ending broken leg. The Grant Thomas-coached side still limped into September, winning five games straight through Rounds 13-17 and only missing out on a top-four berth because of percentage. But they never looked a serious finals threat and were knocked out by Melbourne in the first round - an 18-point defeat that ended their 2006 campaign, along with Thomas' tenure at the club.

2007 TO DATE

To the naked and untrained eye, it might appear that the Saints had something of an old-school pre-season - a few practice match run-outs in which results really don't matter, with the real endeavour held back until the real stuff begins. Actually, that's pretty much what anyone might suspect when looking at St Kilda's summer of 2007. After being overrun by the Lions in Cairns in round one of the NAB Cup, the Saints were soundly beaten by Collingwood and Port Adelaide, before getting over the top of the Kangaroos in their final regional challenge outing. Through it all, new coach Ross Lyon experimented with a plethora of youngsters and rookies and never came close to fielding anything like a first-choice side.

Fast-forward to round one of the season proper and it was an entirely different story. Slow to start against Melbourne in last Friday's season-opener, St Kilda was quick and decisive to finish. The Saints put the clamps on Melbourne in terms two and three and had the game pretty much in the bag by three quarter-time - the Demon's break-even last quarter doing little more than keeping the scoreboard respectable. Leigh Montagna was the star of a 31-point Saints win, with Fraser Gehrig in ominous form up forward. More to the point, St Kilda didn't need Riewoldt, Hamill, Brett Voss and Max Hudghton to beat a team aiming for a fourth successive finals berth.

THE COACH

Ross Lyon joins Paul Roos as a former Fitzroy player now in the coaches box - and what he wouldn't give to emulate his former teammate and boss and now interstate rival. An assistant to Roos at Sydney from 2004 to 2006, Lyon was part of the Swans set-up for the historic 2005 premiership and has now inherited one of the competition's most talented lists. Some regard that as a blessing, others as a curse. But if the Saints can stay fit - admittedly a big ‘if’ given recent history - there might be more than a few coaches wishing they were in rookie Lyon's shoes.

MISSING IN ACTION

There were times last year when the Saints' injury list rivalled War and Peace for length and intrigue. This year, matters appear to have improved, although the revelation that Matt Maguire has a stress fracture in his foot will resurrect the spectre of an injury jinx. Luke Ball may don a helmet for Thursday's game but he is expected to be sufficiently recovered from the concussion that followed Matthew Whelan's spine-rattling bump last Friday. Koschitzke emerged unscathed from the season-opener, as did Lenny Hayes, while Riewoldt is considered a chance to return from a back ailment in his home state. Hudghton might be ready to go after groin surgery but Hamill remains sidelined by a knee injury. Voss, named an emergency last week, and Raph Clarke could figure in the selection mix.

THE GUN

The most obvious threat is Riewoldt, but with doubts remaining over the star Queensland product's fitness, it's hard not to plump for his forward cohort Gehrig. In all honesty, the Saints' even spread of talent makes it hard to identify just the one gun - Robert Harvey has won two Brownlow Medals, Dal Santo has been freely compared with the almost incomparable Ian Stewart, Ball is an All-Australian and Hayes is one of the best midfielders of the last decade. But none threatened to take last week's match against Melbourne by the scruff of the neck, as man-mountain Gehrig did. Put simply, the G-Train was in the mood and ran all over Melbourne's Nathan Carroll, a full-back some pundits regarded as a contender for All-Australian honours last year. Gehrig kicked four goals and hit the post three times in looking the proverbial man among boys. It will be interesting to see which Lion gets the job of picking him up, with the still-learning Dan Merrett the obvious choice on physical attributes alone.

THE BOLTER

Quietly, amid all the injuries at Moorabbin in 2006, Montagna had his best season to date, finishing top-10 in the Saints' fairest-and-best. Against Melbourne on Friday night, he picked up where he left off last year - and then some. The 23-year-old was best afield in St Kilda's 31-point win and caught the eye with his ability to find the football, carry it forward and deliver it long and precisely into attack. The 2001 ‘superdraft’ has already netted the Saints four top-liners in Ball (No. 2), Xavier Clarke (No. 5), Dal Santo (No. 13) and Maguire (No. 21). If Montagna (No. 37) continues to improve at his current rate, the quartet could soon become a quintet.

STRENGTHS

Midfield, midfield, midfield. If it weren't for a bunch of blokes running around in blue and yellow led by some guy named Judd, people would probably talk of St Kilda every time the subject of midfield quality was broached. The Saints' running brigade is slightly unusual in that it doesn't really have an out-and-out speedster, capable of breaking the lines through turn of pace. But it is blessed with a phenomenal amount of footballing talent and nous. Santo is rarely caught and delivers the ball accurately with a deadly left foot, Hayes is a ball magnet, Ball is as tough as he is talented and Harvey remains a physical freak with his durability and endurance. Montagna is emerging, Andrew Thompson is underrated but not unappreciated and Brendon Goddard, the No.1 pick of the 2002 National Draft has a key position player's body but also the ability to pinch hit on the ball.

WEAKNESSES

Injuries and a lack of a centre half-back - in this week's case, both being the same thing. Who will Ross Lyon play on Jonathan Brown? Maguire is expected to miss up to six weeks and it's a lot to ask of Hudghton to potentially come in first-up and play on the league's best centre half-forward. The 30-year-old is famed for his ability to play above his size, but giving up 4cm and 11kg to Brown …? If Hudghton isn't right to go, Lyon's dilemma becomes even greater. The only other Saints with the physical capacity to do battle with Brown would be Riewoldt and Gehrig and it seems unlikely that either of them will play down back. In that case, St Kilda may be forced to go with a defence-by-committee approach, like Hawthorn did on the weekend. The Hawks did limit Brown to one goal but they were burned in other areas.

THE QUEENSLAND FACTOR

St Kilda's Queensland factor is two-fold. First of all there are the Queensland products at the club - Riewoldt, Voss, David Armitage, Sam Gilbert and Brad Howard. Armitage, from Mackay via Morningside, earned solid reviews during the pre-season after being taken at No.9 in last year's draft and must be considered some chance of debuting in his home state. A Voss return would be fitting on the night the Lions honour their greatest-ever player and his older brother.

On top of those five, Hudghton was actually drafted from suburban club West Brisbane in 1996, while Jason Gram spent 2002 and 2003 at the Gabba before being traded back home to Victoria. Jayden Attard, the elevated rookie who impressed with his work on Melbourne's Aaron Davey last week, was taken by the Lions with the No.50 pick of the 2004 National Draft and played five games in 2005 and 2006.