ST KILDA players Farren Ray and Zac Dawson have attracted interest from rival clubs, according to their manager Marty Pask, as the Saints' salary cap issues continue to leave uncontracted players in limbo.

Pask, who said he believes the Saints have up to 14 players currently without a contract, is working to secure deals for Ray and Dawson to remain at Seaford.

However, with St Kilda under AFL pressure to shed money from its salary cap, no deal has been forthcoming four days into Trade Week.

Valued stopper Sean Dempster, who finished third in the club's 2011 best and fairest award, and midfielder Brett Peake are other Saints yet to sign a contract for next season.

Pask said his clients were understanding of St Kilda's "difficult situation", but the time would come when they need to assess their options, including the possibility of entering the NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft.

"That is a situation that the players can do something with, but then St Kilda are going to be left with nothing … that's St Kilda's problem, " Pask told AFL.com.au's Trade Week Radio on Thursday. 

"If we get to the end of Trade Week and their cap hasn't changed or shifted, then Zac, Farren, myself, we've got to sit down and work out what we're going to do.

"(Football manager) Chris Pelchen and (list manager) Ameet Bains have inherited a difficult situation at St Kilda. I understand that, my clients understand that.

"We'll agree to something when it's right and obviously give St Kilda the time they need."

Pask said Ray, who has played 71 of a possible 74 games for St Kilda (including three Grand Finals) since crossing from the Western Bulldogs at the end of 2008, was yet to be presented with a contract from the club.

He said "a lot" of clubs had enquired about the 25-year-old Western Australian.

"St Kilda need to do something for us to do something," Pask said. "As it stands now he's out of contract. We need a contract.

"He does attract a fair bit of interest - St Kilda know that, we understand that.

"But we've got to remember that Farren's played at St Kilda, he's played in three Grand Finals, he's played particularly well there, he's been consistent, he's been durable."

Pask said Dawson had also attracted interest from rival clubs, but St Kilda has insisted that the key defender is a required player. 

"They've told me and they've told Zac," Pask said. "There's no doubt both Farren and Zac are required players.

"St Kilda wouldn't be happy with the position they're in right now.

"They wouldn't exactly be swinging from the ceiling fans thinking,'Yes, we've got a tight salary cap, we've got some good players, and now we've got something up to 14 out of contract players'.

"We've got to work through this situation as best we can."

No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Monday, October 17.

Follow our complete coverage of the 2011 AFL exchange period from October 10-17. Join the AFL trade conversation on Twitter: use #tradeweek in your tweets

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