TALL forward Mason Wood has upstaged St Kilda endurance machine Bradley Hill to take out the club's 3km time trial on Wednesday.
Wood, who joined the club during the SSP ahead of the 2021 season, pipped Hill by a few steps in a thrilling finish.
Jack Sinclair, Ryan Byrnes, Dan Butler and Jack Steele crossed the line shortly after with a host of Saints breaking the 10-minute barrier.
>>SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL TOP TEN
Rookie Jack Peris impressed in seventh place, while Zak Jones rounded out the top 10 with a personal best time.
Ben Long, Dean Kent, Tom Highmore and Darragh Joyce were among the club’s most improved performers compared to the times from their previous trial last January.
Over half of the playing group took part in the pre-season staple this morning, with a number of the Saints’ first-to-four-year players completing an additional run last fortnight.
"There are always a few nerves before any time trial, but the boys have all grabbed it with both hands and we’re really happy with everyone’s attitude towards it," head of high performance and conditioning Nick Walsh said.
"Both Mason Wood and Bradley Hill ran really well, young Jack Peris and Ryan Byrnes were impressive too and Jack Steele ran well; he’s been pretty consistent over the past number of years.
"We all know a three-kilometre time trial is a physical thing, but there are also those mental components as well. It is a gruelling 10 minutes or so, and in that time frame you’re battling.
"Whether it’s someone running past you, trying to catch someone or the weather conditions, there are a lot of variables in a player’s mind, but everyone ran really well today.
"We’ve topped it off with some swimming, boxing and some bike sessions, so there is still a little bit of work to do pre-Christmas – and a lot of work to do during Christmas – so we can hit the ground running when we come back in January."
St Kilda’s full squad returned to training on Monday and will break for Christmas on Saturday 18 December.
Time trial top 10
1. Mason Wood
2. Bradley Hill
3. Jack Sinclair
4. Ryan Byrnes
5. Dan Butler
6. Jack Steele
7. Jack Peris
8. Jimmy Webster
9. Seb Ross
10. Zak Jones