St Kilda’s fresh faces have joined the AFL’s crop of 2016 draftees at Etihad Stadium for the annual two-day AFL Player’s Association induction camp.

The Saints latest recruits; Ben Long, Josh Battle, Ed Phillips and Rowan Marshall, plus international signings, Barclay Miller, Darragh Joyce and Ray Connellan were all in attendance to hear from a panel that included budding young gun, Jade Gresham.

Former St Kilda and North Melbourne great, Nick Dal Santo, hosted the day’s proceedings, leading a wide-ranging discussion that covered topics such as career development, financial literacy, personal brand and wellbeing among other subjects.

Recently retired champions, Matthew Pavlich and Jimmy Bartel also addressed the new wave of young talent entering the system.

AFLPA General Manager of Player Development, Brett Johnson, said a key focus of the camp was to ensure the draftees understand the importance of maximising their AFL careers and the opportunities it provides both on and off the field.

“The AFLPA provides a range of first-class programs, services and benefits to all members during and after their football careers – whether that be education and training assistance, wellbeing support or financial advice,” Johnson said.

“It’s important for the draftees to understand that foundations for post-football careers need to start being laid from the minute they are drafted into the system. The average AFL career is only six years so it’s crucial that we’re always looking towards the bigger picture.”