SAINTS BACK JONES TO BE FIT FOR FINAL
ST KILDA is growing highly confident Zak Jones will overcome his hamstring injury to bolster its midfield in the elimination final against the Western Bulldogs.
Jones strained his hamstring on September 10 but stepped up his training on Wednesday to firm as a likely inclusion for Saturday week’s clash at the Gabba.
“His energy, hardness and speed around the footy is massive for us and that’s what finals footy is all about,” fellow Saints midfielder Jack Billings said.
“It’s all about the contest and putting pressure on and winning the hard ball — and that’s a big part of his game.
“He did a fair bit today and obviously we still have 10 days until the game, so he will build later this week and look to have a full week next week, so we look forward to having him back.”
Jones was spared the match-play component of Wednesday’s session at Maroochydore but took part in small group drills and completed a series of runthroughs.
At one stage he was taken to the neighbouring oval at the Maroochydore training complex for intense one-onone work.
The Saints hope their 5.30am team visit to Sunshine Beach on Monday morning will help reset their minds for the Dogs.
Players and staff set 4.30am alarms at their Noosa hub to walk down to the beach and watch the sunrise as a group, where they spoke about what they wanted to achieve.
“There were some good conversations about the opportunity ahead and what the next few weeks means, individually and as a team, and what’s possible,” Billings said.
Billings said the Saints were determined not to waste their opportunity, with many experiencing finals for the first time. “We’re not in the finals just to make up the numbers,” he said.