Forward Tim Membrey says missing finals hurt St Kilda, but will now fuel a new assault

THEY’VE lost Nick Riewoldt, but the next generation Saints are not only ready to fill the void, they are primed to make finals for the first time since 2011.

Tim Membrey of the Saints.

ST KILDA forward Tim Membrey says missing the finals in 2017 hurt the club, but will now provide the lasting fuel for a 2018 assault.

The Saints finished one game and percentage off the top eight in a 2017 season in which it was held back by poor goalkicking.

“It was pretty tough. Obviously, that’s what you play footy for, to play in September,” Membrey said during a training session at St Kilda’s Catani Gardens today.

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“It was pretty hard to swallow at times, not making the finals, but I guess coming off the break it now burns a little bit. It gives us a bit of fire to come out and have a solid pre-season and hopefully make it to September next year.

“I came to Saints with a young group and now we’ve certainly got the character there and experience coming through that I think we can play finals.”

Tim Membrey takes a dive after pre-season training. Picture: Jason Edwards

Membrey played his 50th game in Round 23 last season and has been a success since crossing from Sydney, kicking 44 goals in 2016 and 38 in 2017.

Tim Membrey emerges from the surf.

The 23-year-old said he was ready to take his game up a notch after the retirement of legendary teammate Nick Riewoldt.

“Having another strong pre-season I’ll look to hopefully improve areas of my game and look to take the next step from Round 1,” Membrey said.

“It’s obviously a massive hole that we’re all going to have to work really hard to fill, but it’s another exciting challenge for us as a forward group to improve and take the next step.

“He’s been a superstar of the club for such a long time now and he’s made it pretty clear that Paddy (McCartin) is the one to come in and make a big stamp on this team.

“We’re young down there, but also starting to get some experience as well with guys like Josh Bruce and Mav Weller. It’s exciting and fresh.”

St Kilda players finish their training session with stand-up paddle boarding.

McCartin, St Kilda’s No. 1 draft pick in 2014, has been plagued by concussion issues that have restricted him to only 22 games.

But the key forward is turning heads already in a pre-season, producing personal-best time-trial results.

“I personally am his No. 1 fan,” Membrey said.

“I love him and think he’s going to be a superstar. He’s clearly putting in the hard yards now and the rewards are starting to show in his aerobic capacity and his body.

“I just hope he gets a clear run at it with no injuries and I think he could be a bit scary.”

Membrey and his teammates cooled off on St Kilda beach, with the goalkicker unable to resist a backflip into the bay while stand-up paddle boarding.