It didn’t take Maverick Weller long to agree to terms on a new deal with St Kilda.

After earning a second chance at the end of 2013, the hard working Tasmanian has barely put a foot wrong in his time at the Linen House Centre, rapidly commanding respect through a fastidious approach to his football.

Across 36 appearances in two seasons with the Saints, Weller has risen off the rookie list, immersed himself amongst the clubs evolving leadership group, and stamped himself as someone with a strong desire to drag the club back up the ladder.

It’s hard to believe Weller was delisted from the Gold Coast Suns just over two years ago, given the impact he has had in such a short space of time at St Kilda.

And now, fresh from re-committing until the end of 2018, the 24-year-old praised the faith shown by the club that threw him a lifeline when his football career was in limbo.

“Both parties, the manager and the club, were happy with where it was at and I was thrilled to extend my time at St Kilda,” Weller told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.

“I was never going anywhere, or anything. It’s great faith from the club, I’m just pumped with the contract.”

Following St Kilda’s encouraging 2015 campaign, coupled with the acquiring of high-end talent during the post-season period, Weller believes the Saints have the framework in place to launch towards a return to the finals for the first time since 2011.

“I don’t think there is a ceiling. I think the premiership group is there – we’ve got a bunch of great kids. There is some work to be done obviously, consistency is the big one,” Weller said.

“We’re aiming for finals, and if you don’t want to win a premiership, you’re not in the right game. We talk about finals every day. We talk about becoming the best every day.”

Again, the question of the summer dominated discussion, with the media wanting to know more about Nick Riewoldt, and his captaincy.

Weller was unequivocal in his response, suggesting that the six-time Trevor Barker Award winner should lead the Saints once again in 2016, although there are quality candidates waiting at the ready when the time comes to replace Riewoldt.

“I think Nick’s the right man for the job, he’s an unbelievable leader. He's the longest serving captain at our footy club and in saying that he’s been really good for a lot of us to progress our leadership,” he said.

“Right now, there’s nothing like a half-time speech from ‘Rooey’. He’s a terrific role model and leader at the club, I think it’s a pretty easy choice.