THE APPOINTMENT of Ross Lyon leaves a lot of question marks regarding the style of play the Saints will adopt and the consequent scoring potential.

Also of great interest is what roles his stars will play within it. At a glance, a couple of proven guns in Jack Steele (MID, $978,000) and Jack Sinclair (DEF, $911,000) would appear safe selections in their respective positions following stellar seasons in which they averaged 111 and 103 respectively.

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The biggest question however revolves around big man Rowan Marshall (RUC, $808,000) and whether he will start the season as the sole ruck, especially following the news that Max King (FWD, $551,000) will miss the start of the season following a shoulder reconstruction which may cause Marshall to spend more time forward.

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Lock them in

Jack Steele (MID, $978,000) had another great season despite injury limiting him to 18 games. His eighth season produced his second elite average on the trot, topping the magical 110 mark, and he did it with an impressive five scores over 120 including a massive ceiling of 154. As we have come to expect, his tackle game remained strong, laying eight or more on eight occasions which ensured his score kept ticking over.

The beauty of starting with the Saints skipper is it feels like a bargain given he averaged 11 points more in 2021 where he had nine scores of 130 or more including 149, 157 and 162.

Track their pre-season

It's no secret Rowan Marshall (RUC, $808,000) has scored over 20 points per game more when playing as the sole ruck as opposed to sharing with another big man like the recently retired Paddy Ryder, so all eyes are on the Saints' new coaching regime as to what their plans are in the big man department.

After scoring just two triple figure scores in the first 14 rounds, Marshall turned it up a notch with an increased role in the middle of the ground from round 15 where he went on to score seven 100s in the next nine rounds, including four scores over 115 and a top of 163 which included 30 possessions and nine marks.

His round 23 game was a disaster, collecting just eight possessions and zero marks for 47. He shared duties with Tom Campbell. Hence the track watch.

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Dual-position tempter

Jade Gresham (FWD/MID, $742,000) created a lot of buzz last pre-season after a great start to 2021 ended after just three games which resulted in a discounted starting price.

He went on to average a solid 84 from 18 games in 2022 which was a good return but realistically this year, he is just one to watch after all the big name forwards are gone in the Draft. His best is great, as we saw with 116 and 119 last year, but the injury risk and subsequent low scores make him too much of a risk in Classic.

Bargain basement

OK, this is what we are talking about. Talk about Fantasy credentials.

This year's No.10 pick in the NAB AFL Draft, Mattaes Phillipou (FWD/MID, $282,000), would have to be right in the mix to earn a spot in the round one team for the Saints and hopefully that's the case after he averaged 123 from eight games for the Torrens in the SANFL Under 18s.

He averaged 28 possessions, seven marks and five tackles while demonstrating the ability to also push forward which is handy given he stands at 192cm. Keep a close eye on him over the Summer.

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Draft sleeper

Ball magnet Brad Crouch (MID, $942,000) is going into his third year at the Saints fresh off the second-best average of his career, tallying 106 per game.

For some reason, coaches are still hesitant to select Crouch due to injury concerns early in his career but after playing 20 and 21 games the past two seasons, its worth bumping him up your midfield favourites list. He finished the season with six 100s in his last seven games and averaged a whopping 127 in his last four.

His one-match suspension may cause him to drop a little further, if so, pounce and cover him for the week.

Buyer beware

Promising Saint Hunter Clark (DEF, $604,000) is discounted and cheap, which once again makes him an interesting prospect given his potential. Unfortunately last year was an all too familiar tale where the 23-year-old couldn’t get a decent run at it due to injury. If he has a Fantasy-friendly role, he is certainly one to watch as a Draft slider as he is more than capable of playing up the ground and producing good numbers.

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