Lenny Hayes got through St Kilda's victory over Melbourne on Friday night, Matt Maguire made it, and Justin Koschitzke found no new and strange ways to hurt himself. But don't forget Xavier Clarke.

The St Kilda player was perhaps not as stricken as the above names last year. But Clarke's 13 games were still surrounded by hamstring and hip injuries and soft tissue problems that have dogged more than one of his five seasons.

The 23-year-old has begun to worry in the past few years about how far he was falling behind Luke Ball, Maguire and Nick Dal Santo, who were drafted in the same year. He has started to dwell, too, on the things he has missed out on.

But after a chat with new coach Ross Lyon at the start of pre-season training, Clarke decided there was more he could do to prevent bad luck. He worked harder to build a stronger fitness base, spending more time on bikes and in the pool. He rested more than he had, and tried to better understand the role he could play for his team.

When the Saints started their season with a 31-point win over the Demons, Clarke was one of their best players, cutting the ball off reliably through the middle of the ground, moving it regularly through half-forward, and kicking a second-quarter goal that helped get his side moving.

But having rarely been ready to play in the first round, Clarke was happy simply to have trained all summer, to have been in a position to make the side, and to have a more clear idea of what he was to do out there.

"Last year I sort of went into games not really knowing my role, and that's probably my fault as much as anyone else. This year my main focus was just on knowing what I have to do, and where I need to be, and it's definitely helped me concentrate a lot more," Clarke said.

"That's the good thing about being fit. As soon as I got my skinfolds down and got my fitness right I could think about finding a role that was right for me and not just keep trying to get back after injury all the time.

"I tend to think a lot of what I've missed out on and where I potentially could have been if I didn't have so many injuries. I look at guys like Dal and Luke Ball and Matt Maguire and I feel like they've excelled before me and I've had missed opportunities.

"But in saying that, it's up to me to make up for lost time now. Hopefully, I can have a good season."

St Kilda trailed Melbourne early on Friday, but had the lead by half-time and moved further in front from there. The Demons struggled to get any flow from half-back through the middle, which meant they found it hard to get the ball forward enough times.

The Saints created more chances, which helped Fraser Gehrig kick four goals. Leigh Montagna, Clarke and Brendon Goddard were their big ball winners, with Steven Baker, Jason Blake and rookie Jayden Attard doing important work on Travis Johnstone, Cam Bruce and Aaron Davey.

Clarke said having a new coach meant every player saw a new chance to win a place in the side, and knew doing good things could entrench you in Lyon's good books.

"Every coach has their favourites, and we're all trying to be Rossy's favourites right now. This is a good time to prove you deserve a spot in the side because everyone's starting from the same place," he said.

"Jayden Attard's a good example of that. He's had a great pre-season and he's been rewarded for that, he got put on the list and he played tonight and kept Davey to no goals.

"It definitely shows that with a bit of hard work now, it could be out with the old and in with the new. We've got a new game plan now, and everyone has a new role and a new chance."