SMALL forward duo Jack Lonie and Jack Sinclair are the standouts of St Kilda's pre-season, Josh Bruce says.

Lonie and Sinclair both struggled to maintain their spots in the senior team this year after showing plenty of promise when making their debut in 2015.

"Jack Lonie and Jack Sinclair have come back in absolutely ripping nick," Bruce said at Seaford on Wednesday.

"They were quite disappointed with their seasons last year in terms of playing AFL games and said to Richo (coach Alan Richardson) and said to the boys, we're here to play and we're here to impress everyone."

Sinclair won the time trial for first-to-fourth-year players at the start of the club's pre-season, while Lonie finished third. Daniel McKenzie was second.

Expectations are high on Sinclair after he was handed the famous No. 35, previously worn by Robert Harvey.

The recruitment of former Collingwood defender Nathan Brown as a restricted free agent on a two-year deal has allowed Sam Gilbert to thrive.

"Sam Gilbert's been really good as well. He's relishing that role down back with a few of the bigger guys to take the gorillas, so him and Sean Dempster will just be floating across," Bruce said.

Jake Carlisle's availability will be another boon for St Kilda's defence, with Richardson admitting at the club's annual general meeting on Tuesday that the club had struggled to deal with the bigger forwards.

The 25-year-old ran laps with fellow defender Hugh Goddard on Wednesday and Bruce said Carlisle's recovery was on track.

"Carlisle's been doing part sessions and running really, really well," Bruce said.

Goddard is on the comeback trail from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Midfielder Jack Steele was confined to the stationary bike after having surgery in September for a fractured metatarsal in his left foot.

Injury-prone runner Nathan Freeman, who has been plagued by hamstring issues and is yet to play a senior game after three years in the AFL, is in full training after a trip to Germany to see a specialist.

"He's doing everything at the minute. To be really honest, most training sessions, I've got my fingers crossed when he's picking up a ground ball or going flat out, but at this stage it's all looking good," Richardson said.

Luke Dunstan will suffer no internal punishment after he was found drunk on a Saturday morning earlier this month. He was detained and fined by police.

The 21-year-old had a shoulder reconstruction in August.

"We thought that in the media, when you guys announced it and when it came out, that embarrassment was enough," Bruce said.