Saints to keep an eye on McCartin

ST Kilda will look to alter Paddy McCartin’s tactical approach to contests but has resolved not to change his aggressive attack on the ball, confident the one-time No.1 draft selection will overcome the concussion issue that held him back this season.

Saints coach Alan Richardson is confident McCartin will become “a really special player for us”, with the Saints insisting there was never any possibility he would be traded.

McCartin, 21, has played 22 AFL games across his three seasons with the Saints, including five this year after a concussion in the VFL in Round 14 brought a premature end to his season.

“The scenarios Paddy has found himself in have been pretty different, but fundamentally (they come) on the back of a really committed, courageous attack on the ball,” Richardson said.

“We don’t want to take that away from him, but we need to potentially look at the tactical side of the collisions and see if we can make it a little smarter.”

Richardson said the early end to McCartin’s year, on the advice of the club doctors, may have presented a silver lining for his overall development.