ST KILDA forward Fraser Gehrig has admitted his body is tired and not working as well as he would like it, but says he will not retire yet.

"I won't lie, it's been a battle," he said on Channel Ten's Before The Game, five matches into a "new" career with the Saints after retiring last season and being picked up in the pre-season draft.

"The body probably hasn't responded as well as I would like to have. The club knew, and I knew, when I came back that I would need a lot of things to go right for me and that's why they took the punt.

"I've played five games and they haven't been my greatest games, to be honest."

Asked whether he would play on this season, he said: "It's always dependent on the team, injuries, stuff like that; how my body has held up, and to be honest, my body hasn't held up great … It comes down to list management; whether I think I can actually get myself through a game or consecutive games."

He said he realised the game had changed between his retirement and his return and had become "quicker and harder". The reason for his return, he said, was to play in a premiership-winning side.

He added there were young players at the club, playing in VFL side Casey Scorpions, who were "flying and probably deserve their chance, at some stage".

"I don't think I've contributed enough to the side. I'm not alone, but the team's not flying and there's a lot of guys who have to put their hand up and be accountable for the way we're going. Whether I go on, I don't know."

Saints coach Ross Lyon said after Friday night's loss: "His body's not what it was really. And it's frightening what can happen in six months." However, teammate Luke Ball threw his support behind Gehrig, saying yesterday that his poor performance on Friday night had been partly due to bad delivery into the forward line.

"Look, for starters, I don't think our delivery into the forward line to him or Kosi (Justin Koschitzke) last night was very helpful," he said.

"I didn't hear what the coach said to be honest, but Fraser's certainly got the players' full support. As players, you go through peaks and troughs in your form.

"One thing that is for sure is that Frase works as hard, if not harder, than anyone else on the track and he has been doing that and will continue to do that no doubt. From a teammate's perspective that is all he has to know from us. We are fully behind him."

Former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said yesterday it appeared from Lyon's comments that Gehrig had played his last game.

"It's not a matter of blame in this," he said on Radio SEN. "When you're in a club, you play as a club and you play as a team and I can't see there's anything other than a retirement for Fraser, given what I've just heard from Ross.

"That's the first time I've heard (Lyon's) interview and I'm a bit shocked by it."

■The Saints have elevated Andrew McQualter from the rookie list to replace Matt Maguire, who was placed on the long-term injury list after suffering a serious foot injury.