THE TERM ‘training the house down’ is one of the most commonly heard at this time of year, but St Kilda brought the cliché to life at Linen House Oval on Wednesday morning.

As the Saints ran around in the mid-January heat, the stands that oversaw 44 years of training and VFL football at Moorabbin were being torn down as part of the club’s planned relocation to Frankston in 2010.

But while the house was literally coming down, the players had a reasonably sedate session. There was a bit of running, a bit of boxing and some light skills work.

Sam Fisher, Jarryd Allen and Adam Schneider were the only notable absentees in front of a crowd of about 60 die-hard supporters.

Recruits Paul Cahill and Alistair Smith have been touted as two players who could be ready-made for senior footy in their first year.

They started the session by doing some handballing to each other before Smith ran around the boundary for about 20 minutes.

The youngster from Western Australia started well but was considerably slower as the laps went on, understandably so since the mercury was rising.

Also doing laps by himself was fellow recruit Rhys Stanley, who looked to be moving well, while Lenny Hayes and Jarryn Geary, two of the club’s best endurance men, were running side-by-side, refusing to back down despite the heat.

Xavier Clarke did some run-throughs by himself, going no further than 50m with each. The 25-year-old is clearly being cautious with his troublesome body as he embarks on a crucial season in his career.

In the centre of the ground the onballers practised their centre clearance work. Michael Gardiner tapped down to Leigh Montagna, Clint Jones, Farren Ray and Leigh Fisher while Steven King fed the ball to Jason Gram, David Armitage and Nick Dal Santo.

St Kilda fans expect big things from top-10 draft pick Armitage and maybe this will be the year he cements a spot for himself in the middle.

Fisher is another who generates interest by being in the middle. He started last year as the Saints’ top tagger in the absence of Steven Baker but, by the end of the season, couldn’t hold his spot in the side.

But the reports coming out of Moorabbin suggest he has blitzed the pre-season, winning time trials and leaving nothing to chance in his pursuit of a regular senior spot.

At the South Road end of the ground two video cameras were set up to monitor set shot goalkicking techniques.

The usual forwards were down there – Stephen Milne, Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke – but they were also joined by recruit Nick Heyne, who apparently knows how to slot a few.

Sam Gilbert was also present, until now mainly used as a defender.

Will the 22-year-old be the new third tall forward option the Saints have been after?

So many questions, so much hope, so early in the year.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.