Small forward Jack Lonie produced an emphatic response to his demotion in Sandringham’s loss to Casey on Saturday, instantly putting his hand up for another opportunity at senior level.

In his first VFL outing since Round 8, the 20-year-old starred to finish with 37 disposals, eleven tackles and two goals to be the standout in the heartbreaking loss to the Casey Demons.

“Jack Lonie was consistently strong around the football with his pressure and his class,” VFL coach Lindsay Gilbee told saints.com.au.

“His ball use is generally very good at this level and he’s smart around the goals so he’s put his name back into AFL selection on the back of that.”

Hard-nosed utility Nathan Wright suffered a syndesmosis injury in the third quarter and is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

Gilbee said the injury was a major blow for the Zebras at a critical time in Saturday’s narrow loss at Trevor Barker Oval.

“Losing Nathan Wright to that broken ankle was a big blow because he’s a player who’s consistently hard at the contest and impacts games with the way he plays,” he said.

“He was taken straight to hospital so we hope for the best and once he gets scans on the severity, we’ll definitely know more of a return date.”