ST KILDA may well name an unchanged lineup for its game against Collingwood on Friday night, but this doesn’t mean there are not a host of emerging Saints pushing hard for a senior position.

Towards the front of this queue is Paddy McCartin.

A four-goal effort for Sandringham on Saturday could have easily been six or seven had he kicked straight and not unselfishly passed a handful off. But with Josh Bruce and Tim Membrey registering 10 scoring shots between them against the Suns, finding room for the number one draft pick is difficult.

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Bruce especially has solidified his position with a match-winning six-goal haul.

Like McCartin, Darren Minchington kicked four goals and has shown glimpses of x-factor in each of his five senior games with the Saints.

“Darren was probably our best player with 19 possessions and four goals,” Paul Hudson said in his VFL review.

“He also had seven tackles which showed what a well-rounded game he played.”

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Eli Templeton was equally impressive for the Zebras on the weekend after being omitted following St Kilda’s round one loss to GWS.

The evasive 19-year-old collected 23 disposals, netted 10 clearances and booted three goals in a performance that in other weeks may have earned him an immediate senior recall.

“Eli had a good game and had a real influence on the contest. He pushed hard forward, got in the right spots and got involved,” Hudson said.

This is not to say that Alan Richardson is perturbed by the battle for spots in St Kilda’s 22, rather he has consistently suggested it will make players better in the long run if they are forced to fight for a position in the team.

“If everyone's fit and healthy, we'll be reluctant to change our team too much,” Richardson said on Tuesday.

“We were pleased for big parts of the game, and those guys have earned the right to keep their spot.”

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Other Saints that will jostle for selection this week include Adam Schneider (a late withdrawal from last Saturday’s win over Gold Coast), Josh Saunders (26 disposals for Sandringham), Blake Acres (17 disposals) and ruckman Tom Hickey.

First-year players Hugh Goddard (12 marks) and Daniel McKenzie (21 disposals and one goal) also look to be making significant progress but may find it difficult to nudge more experienced Saints out in the short to medium term.

“Hugh was very rarely beaten and difficult to get past. It’s been an excellent two weeks for Hugh – his form is good,” Hudson said of Goddard.

Meanwhile, half-back Jimmy Webster looks likely to return from a broken finger via the VFL.

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The need to rejuvenate and regenerate the team is strong, but if Richardson names an unchanged 22 on Thursday night, then this will truly indicate that pure performance is the greatest selection factor of them all. 

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Darren Minchington was Sandringham's best player, according to Paul Hudson.