2015 draftees Jade Gresham and Nick Coughlan are in line for their first taste of senior football after they were both named in St Kilda’s 29-man squad to face North Melbourne in Saturday’s opening NAB Challenge fixture.
The Saints secured the services of highly regarded inside midfielder Gresham with its first pick in last November’s NAB AFL National Draft, using selection No.18 on the Northern Knights captain.
On the back of an impressive maiden pre-season at Linen House Centre, Sexton described last year’s Vic Metro MVP as an exciting prospect, who does his best work in close.
“Our fans can expect to see him in the midfield and as a small forward,” Sexton told saints.com.au on Thursday.
“He’s a really powerful runner, he’s good in tight spaces, he gets his hands on the ball and he’s clean. He’s just a dynamic midfielder; he’s an exciting player to watch.”
Sexton revealed that key defender Coughlan had made an impressive transition from TAC Cup football to a full-time environment, with the 19-year-old demanding an early opportunity to prove himself at AFL level.
“‘Cougho’ has slotted in quite well. He’s an old fashion sort of defender who reads the play well,” Sexton said.
“He defends pretty well one-on-one, but he defends space as well. He hasn’t quite shot ahead of a few, but he’s definitely held his own and has earned his spot this week.”
After being initially overlooked in his draft year, Coughlan produced a strong season for the Murray Bushrangers in 2015, prompting the Saints to pick the former Greater Western Sydney Academy member in the Rookie Draft.
