Presenting all you need to know about the Saints ahead of the big Saturday night clash at Etihad Stadium

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St Kilda started the season with a solid win over the Brisbane Lions, but the Saints have struggled to get their game going since then.

They've lost six of their past seven games, the only bright spot being their draw with Greater Western Sydney at Etihad Stadium in round five.

They were beaten by Fremantle by five goals at Optus Stadium last weekend. Alan Richardson's men had a horror first half in that game, scoring only one goal, but they finally found a bit of form by kicking six goals in the third quarter.

Still, another loss means the Saints now find themselves 16th on the ladder.

Team selection
Young defender Bailey Rice will follow in his father's footsteps when he finally makes his St Kilda debut on Saturday against Collingwood.

Rice's dad, Dean, played the first 116 of his 234 AFL games for the Saints before crossing to Carlton, where he played in the Blues' 1995 premiership.

The 21-year-old joined St Kilda via the father-son rule at pick 49 in the 2015 AFL Draft and has since developed at VFL level.

Back-to-back strong performances for Sandringham, including 30 possessions last week, was enough to convince Saints coach Alan Richardson to promote Rice.

Richardson listed Rice's preparation and commitment to training, consistency in state league ranks, aggression in the contest and general toughness as reasons for his selection.

Alex Fasolo will play his first AFL game of the season after being included in the Pies' line-up (AFL Photos)

Injury news
Continuing groin soreness for St Kilda midfielder Blake Acres will force him to miss the next month, while defenders Jake Carlisle and Sam Gilbert have also been ruled out of facing Collingwood on Saturday night. 

Carlisle, 26, was concussed in the round eight loss to Fremantle after copping an errant Nat Fyfe knee and was ruled out for the rest of that game.

Meanwhile, Gilbert has had surgery on his right thumb for ligament damage and will miss six weeks.

"Blake was rested for the round seven clash with Melbourne, which the club hoped would resolve the issue," St Kilda football manager Simon Lethlean told saints.com.au.

"But after reporting soreness following the match against Fremantle on Saturday night, the club has opted to give him an extended break to rehab the injury.

"Blake has shown some promising signs this year and we hope with a period of rest, he can recapture that form on his return."

Players to watch
Jimmy Webster (31 disposals, eight rebound-50s), Luke Dunstan (26 disposals, nine tackles) and Jack Steven (23 disposals, one goal) were among St Kilda's best players in the loss to Fremantle last weekend. 

Last time: Round 4, 2017 at the Etihad Stadium
Match report excerpt: A miserly St Kilda has produced its second victory of the season, outlasting Collingwood by 14 points in a gritty arm wrestle at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. 

After booting 14.23 against the Brisbane Lions last week, the Saints were again inaccurate in front of goal but eventually did enough to separate themselves from a more wasteful Pies outfit.

The Saints set up their victory with four of the five goals scored in the third term, doing enough to hold off the Magpies in a scrappy 9.15 (69) to 7.13 (55) win.

St Kilda's stifling forward line pressure forced the Magpies' defenders to cough the ball up time and again, as they out-tackled their opponents 85-55, but unfortunately the Saints could not take full advantage on the scoreboard.

COLLINGWOOD  2.6  3.7   5.8    7.13 (55)
ST KILDA            1.3  4.7  8.12   9.15 (69) 

GOALS
Collingwood: Hoskin-Elliott 2, Fasolo, Crisp, White, Blair, Schade
St Kilda: Bruce 2, Membrey 2, Montagna, Gresham, Riewoldt, Acres, Billings 

BEST
Collingwood: Howe, Grundy, Sidebottom, Adams, Reid, Treloar
St Kilda: Geary, Ross, Billings, Roberton, Newnes, Steele

INJURIES
Collingwood: Tom Phillips (illness) replaced in selected side by Jarryd Blair, Will Hoskin-Elliott (left wrist)
St Kilda: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Nicholls, Hay, McInerney 

Official crowd: 36,650 at Etihad Stadium

Jack Crisp pressures former Pies player Nathan Brown during last year's clash between Collingwood and St Kilda (AFL Photos)