SAM Fisher will play for St Kilda in this week's season opener against Geelong while Justin Koschitzke is a doubtful starter.

Fisher has recovered from a cheekbone injury he suffered in the NAB Cup loss to Essendon as well as a blow to the head sustained in a Melbourne nightclub last week.

But Koschitzke, who has battled an ankle injury all summer, will probably have to wait at least another week before he can kick off his season.

"Justin's training today. He'd be a slim chance but really unlikely," coach Ross Lyon said on Monday afternoon.

"It's just the coach dreaming a little bit. He's done a full training over the last week or so. He'll train fully this week but it would be a left-field selection. He's certainly not totally discounted but (fitness and conditioning coach) Dave Misson and I are butting heads a little bit so we'll see."

One handy acquisition the Saints will have is David Wheadon, who joined the club last week as a teaching and development coach.

Wheadon spend the past four seasons as Geelong's skill acquisition coach, a fact not lost on Lyon as he plans for the Cats this week.

"He was really instrumental in helping with their ball use so that was part of a co-ordinated plan with us, another resource to help us with the attacking side of our game," Lyon said.

"His run and carry expertise and scoring expertise is renowned throughout football and he is a great appointment for our football club."

Lyon said he was not expecting a drastically different Geelong side to what he has faced in recent seasons despite the off-season departures of coach Mark Thompson and Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett.

"Their self-talk is 90 per cent the same and 10 per cent tweak. There might be a slight modification in ball use against press teams and maybe a slight adjustment pressing a little bit more themselves," he said.

"Fundamentally they've got a great confidence in themselves. As have we, we really believe in ourselves and we've been up around the mark for a couple of years but we all start equal."