JUSTIN Koschitzke is animated.

There's a gleam in his eye as the St Kilda big man talks about his form, about new coach Ross Lyon, about the Saints' finals hopes, and about his part-time job outside the game.

The sense of excitement is palpable. And perfectly understandable.

Because, for the first time in what seems an eternity, the subject matter is Koschitzke the footballer and not the hard-luck story.

"I've never felt as good physically or mentally," he says. "I'm excited about us being in the mix with three rounds to go. I've got everything going well off the field, it's enjoyable ... And it's good to be talking about footy and what I'm doing instead of what I'm not doing."

Which, in the aftermath of the fractured skull and bruising to the brain he suffered in a clash with the Western Bulldogs' Daniel Giansiracusa early last year, seemed to be all the time.

The consequence wasn't only a very serious injury that briefly threatened his career, but its constant revisiting with every subsequent knock and collision. Koschitzke is sick to death of it. And it's why he's knocked back all interviews this season, until now.

"I'm just so sick of talking about it ... who wants to hear it? I'm sick of hearing it," he says.

"My mum and dad don't want to pick up the paper any more and hear about it. I'm sure the old bloke down the road who buys The Age doesn't want to hear about it anymore. It's in the past, I've learnt from it, and I'm in a totally different space now."

And, finally, with something positive to talk about.

For as St Kilda starts to find its feet under Lyon, so does its hugely talented and courageous key-position player and ruckman.

He's averaged 13 disposals and six marks this season. He kicked four goals in the Saints' memorable win against West Coast in Perth on the day of Robert Harvey's 350th game. And when Koschitzke fires, so, invariably, does his team.

Impact rankings formulated by Prowess statistics show that in St Kilda's wins this season, Koschitzke has consistently rated among its top-five players.

When the Saints have lost, he's slipped out of the top 10.

But for Koschitzke himself, the key figure this season is simply the "games played" column. It reads 17 out of 19.

"I would have taken that at the start of the year, given where I was coming from," he says. "To have played that many and contribute to what we're about, I'm pretty pleased. It's just good to have continuity, that consistency of playing every week.

"You can sit down with the same line coach and go through your tape and focus on something to improve on each week, just keep building on things rather than putting all your energy into a rehab session.

"And even after seven years and 95 games, Koschitzke knows there's still plenty of building to be done.

"I've probably had little spurts of showing what I can do but, obviously, due to injury and (missing) that continuity of training and playing, I haven't been able to do it over a period of time, so this year has been a super step," he says.

"I feel like I'm learning over again. I've been here seven years and I still feel like a kid, just because of the time I've spent out. Last year was basically a write-off, and I think the year before, I only squeezed out 13 games. So after so much time off and basically having no influence, I just feel fresh, and like I'm starting from scratch again."

Koschitzke has no shortage of teachers from whom to pick up tips. There's forward coach John Barker. Midfield coach Anthony Rock. And veteran ruckman Matthew Clarke.

Clarke and Michael Gardiner had been recruited off-season to handle ruck responsibilities. Injuries have conspired to keep Gardiner gameless and Clarke to just eight appearances. But with Koschitzke again having to pinch-hit, the advice of the former Brisbane and Adelaide big man has been invaluable.

"He's been great for me," Koschitzke says. "He's been great to bounce ideas off. There's a lot to learn about the caper, just with body positioning and stuff. I used to think it was just three steps, go as hard as you can and jump and get into it. But it really is an artform, and he's helped me a lot with that."

Then there's the senior coach, about whom he can't enthuse enough. Koschitzke was sold on Lyon from the moment they sat down for a heart-to-heart chat.

"He gave me immediate confidence," he recalls. "He just said that he'd back me. He said: 'We'll do everything we can to get you through the preseason. We won't think too far ahead, just take it bit by bit, and take whatever result that gives us at the end of the year.' I was excited straight away by his enthusiasm.

"He just motivates me. And he's straight up. You know exactly where you stand with Ross. He's brutally honest, doesn't pull any punches, and I think that's why I've got confidence in him. I can tell him anything, and if I've got something on my mind, I can shoot it at him and know that he'll take it in, process it, and give it back. I love his passion and enthusiasm, and I think he's inspiring."

That inspiration has extended beyond the football field as well. Koschitzke credits that same conversation with kick-starting him to find a job outside the game.

"I realised last year that footy could be taken away pretty quickly, and I realised when I had nothing going on outside footy, nothing stable, that I spent a lot of time sitting round thinking and dwelling on what was going on, and that wasn't healthy," he said.

"The chat with Ross was basically to get my whole life going, to improve everything. We just sat down and nutted a few things out, and I decided that I'd look for some part-time work."

Koschitzke had grown up with parents Greg and Lorraine and younger brothers Jarod and Ryan on a farm in Brocklesby, 50 kilometres north-west of Albury. He'd spend his school holidays and spare time driving a harvester, loving every minute.

He still does. "At the end of the day, I'm just a big kid who loves big toys and playing in the sandpit," Koschitzke laughed.

So he jumped at the chance to continue doing so and get paid for it. He works two half-days a week for Caterpillar dealer William Adams, "the closest thing I could get to it without driving four hours back to the farm".

He's been on the road with sales representatives, learnt business strategies, done the grand tour of Caterpillar headquarters, and hopes soon enough to be regularly in the driving seat of the heavy machinery. "I love it. They're my kind of people. Straight-up, blue-collar."

Like his family. While Koschitzke is grateful not to have had the excuse of enforced absence from the football field to go home again this season, he's on the phone to his family several times a week.

"Extremely close" is how he describes his relationship with Jarod, 22, and Ryan, who'll be 21 in September, the same month Justin turns 25. Both siblings remain huge influences, and during the lowest times last year, the eldest Koschitzke boy didn't have to look further than his youngest brother, born with spina bifida, for inspiration.

"Ryan was a big part of helping me get back on the horse," he said. "The adversity he comes up against every day of his life made what I was going through seem pretty insignificant. It was a good reality check.

"He just puts a positive spin on everything. He's worn calipers on his legs his whole life. He can't run. Loves his sport, and can't do it. It just puts it back in perspective … that whatever, I can get out there and run a lap of the footy ground.

"He's easily the mentally toughest person I know. To face adversity like that every day and plough through and finish school, go to work, to have great friends … he's a very highly respected person."

Koschitzke is big on respect. For family. His club. And for friends. Such as colleague Nick Riewoldt, the pair close mates since they were famously taken with the first two picks in the 2000 national draft.

Koschitzke looks up to Riewoldt, now a triple best and fairest, dual All-Australian, and bona fide superstar of the AFL.

He's a great example, he says. The sort we should be hearing and reading more about. Not bloody injuries. "I don't see why people want to know about all the bad stuff in footy," he said. "Obviously it sells papers or whatever, but I just find it insignificant when there's so many positives going on in the game, so many good stories, so many blokes doing well, so many teams doing well, and you pick up the paper and it's about something minor a player's got up to, or an injury. It's not what I want to hear."

Particularly when it's about him. But that is no longer the case. Today's clash with Fremantle will be Koschitzke's 96th overall. If St Kilda makes it to September and manages to win a final, he'll get to play his 100th.

Not that he's fussed. For Koschitzke, being able to run out each week is enough of a milestone in itself.