Tim Membrey may be amid a breakout patch of sustained form, but he hasn’t scratched the surface yet, according to St Kilda Assistant Coach Adam Kingsley.

Since forcing his way into the side in Round 6, the mobile forward has established himself as a crucial component of St Kilda’s forward setup.

Now, after 17 rounds, he leads the clubs goal kicking with 32 majors, ahead of fellow key forward Josh Bruce (29 goals), Captain Nick Riewoldt (23 goals) and pressure forward Mav Weller (20 goals).

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“We’ve been really pleased with the development of Tim and expect him to develop further. He’s certainly not playing his best just yet,” Kingsley said at a press conference on Friday.

“He’s taken a little while to break into the team – his VFL form was strong – but as soon as he’s broken into the team he understands the structures that we want to play, he’s able to execute them most often.”

Kingsley lauded Membrey’s ability to win his own contest, regardless of whether the ball was in the air or on the ground.

“He’s really strong in the contest. I think now days, if you want to be a good AFL player you have to be really good in the contest – he seems to win most of those in the air or on the ground,” Kingsley said.

“His transition from offence is strong; he understands that and puts enormous pressure on the opposition.”

The former Sydney Swans forward has been one of the most improved players at St Kilda this season, kicking three or more goals in seven of his 11 appearances.

At an average of 2.9 goals per game, Membrey is ranked No. 5 in the AFL for average goals per game, behind Josh Kennedy, Lance Franklin, Tom Lynch and Jeremy Cameron.

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