Tahlia Meyer has come out on top at St Kilda’s pre-season time trial for the second year running, completing yesterday evening’s two-kilometre run in just over seven minutes.

The South Australian was one of 12 Saints to register a personal best in the drizzly conditions, with key forward Caitlin Greiser slashing an impressive 45 seconds off last year’s time.

Tarni White (34 seconds), Georgia Patrikios (33) and Darcy Guttridge (32) were among the Saints’ most significant improvers – the former completing her run in under eight minutes – while defender Rebecca Ott (27) blitzed her previous record despite suffering a season-ending knee injury late last season.

Alice Burke (18) and draftee Ash Richards (22) also shaved considerable seconds off their respective PBs.

Meyer established a healthy buffer midway through the first lap and only reinforced her lead as the time trial wore on.

Hannah Priest crossed the line in second place – 31 seconds after her former Norwood teammate – while Bianca Jakobsson rounded out the podium in third moments later.

Regular time trial standout Isabella Shannon placed fourth as Tyanna Smith, Kate Shierlaw, Ott and White finished within seconds of each other.

Free agent signee Leah Cutting – who registered the fastest time at this year’s South Australian Draft Combine – was another to deliver a strong performance. The 185cm ruck clocked in at just a tick over eight minutes, pulling ahead of Tilly Lucas-Rodd in the final strides.

Seventeen Saints took part in the annual run at Moorabbin, with pick No. 4 Ella Friend completing the time trial in Ballarat as she continues her Year 12 studies.

Molly McDonald, Rosie Dillon and Jess Matin undertook separate running sessions as they recover from injury niggles, while Olivia Vesely is due to resume training next week after calf setbacks kept her from the field in 2021.

* indicates a personal best time