THE PROSPECT of coming up against the powerful Geelong midfield does not overwhelm St Kilda star Lenny Hayes.

Hayes has enjoyed a stellar season that has seen him named in the All-Australian squad.

But he would have noticed that Cats Jimmy Bartel, Gary Ablett, Joel Corey and Joel Selwood joined him in the squad – with Cameron Ling unlucky not to be included.

“There’s no bigger challenge in footy at the moment and to come up against them in the first week is going to be a tough test for us. But we’ve played some good footy so we go in there with a bit of confidence,” Hayes said.

The 28-year-old said the Saints would have to employ an attacking style if they were to unsettle the reigning premiers.

“That’s the way you’ve got to play footy these days. That’s when we played our best footy. We’ve taken a few more risks and defended well. You have to take risks to score against them. They have a really good defence and midfield and their forward pressure is good as well,” he said.

“They’re a really good side and the teams that do well against them have put a lot of pressure on them.”

The Saints were absent from the finals last year but had played in the three previous September campaigns. Hayes said his teammates still felt the hurt of missing last year but that their finals experience could be a factor over the next few weeks.

“We were really disappointed with the way our season ended last year. It was something we spoke about over the pre-season that we wanted to get back and play finals. We’re here and we have to make things happen from here on in,” he said.

“I think you’re definitely better for the experience and having been there before. Hopefully it does (help) but I suppose the proof will be in the next couple of weeks.”

With Luke Ball still sidelined through injury, Hayes carries extra responsibility in the St Kilda midfield.

But teammate Robert Harvey, who has led the Saints midfield for much of his 21-year career, said Hayes was now the Saints’ main man in the middle.

“He along with Bally has driven a lot of our areas and he’s led the midfield well. From that point of view I don’t think he gets recognised as much outside (the club) as he does inside,” Harvey said.

“We recognise his efforts more than anything and we look forward to that continuing for however many weeks in the finals.”