Saints, Demons start AFL year full of hope

Mar 23, 2017 - 11:33 PM There's no hiding from raised expectations at St Kilda and Melbourne, two AFL clubs on the rise that meet on Saturday at Etihad Stadium.

One skipper is embracing the elevated platform the two sides now sit on, while his opposite number is hoping to fly under the radar for just a bit longer.

Nathan Jones, who will co-skipper the Demons in 2017 alongside tyro Jack Viney, is ready to pump up the pressure.

"I like it because it increases the crowds, it increases the focus on our game and ideally we want to roll up and play in front of as many fans as possible," he told AAP.

"We remain true to the cause that we're on and focused on the reasons and ways in which we are going to become successful."

New St Kilda leader Jarryn Geary thinks otherwise.

Perhaps because the Saints are now expected to make the finals for the first time - as shown by the AFL captains' survey which listed 11 skippers backing St Kilda to be present in September.

Or perhaps because he's yet to adjust to the pressure of on-field leadership, a role he's taking on in 2017 after a decade of Nick Riewoldt leading the Saints.

"You try to avoid those (raised expectations). It's one game," he said.

"It's nice that (AFL captains) think we're in that position where we're going to be competitive throughout the year. But we won't look too much into that. We've just got to perform on game day."

The Saints will have no debutants at Etihad Stadium but three recycled faces - Nathan Brown (Collingwood), Jake Carlisle (Essendon) and Jack Steele (GWS).

Melbourne have thrown senior debuts to Mitch Hannan and Joel Smith, while Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) and Jake Melksham (Essendon) will play their first match in red and blue.

Jones, who hasn't played in a final since game eight of his 223-match career, said he knew how he wanted the Demons to play in 2017.

"Bold. Fierce. Fearless. A tight-knit team," he said.

"I think we can get there. That's what we've been really working on, our brand of footy. We've been working on it for two or three years now and it's gone to another level.

"Expectations are rising but we feel like we're capable. Consistency has been an issue but it's been an issue for all up and coming teams. If we are capable of being consistent, I think everything is really possible."

Consistency is also a watchword at St Kilda.

"Last year we had some really promising performances against teams like Geelong and the Bulldogs and knocked them off," Geary said.

"Then we had interstate performances against West Coast and Adelaide that obviously were pretty poor and a few other games when we let ourselves down.

"If we can bridge the gap we'll be in a better position."

Source: AAP