CHARLIE GARDINER has spent much of the past year living in the shadows. First, it was a frustrating time, trying and failing to break into Geelong's powerful forward line as the team steamrolled its way to the club's first premiership in more than four decades.

And over summer, it has been the towering frame of teammate Steven King that has obscured Gardiner as the pair moved together to St Kilda. While the premiership ruckman has grabbed all the headlines, this time, sitting in the background has suited Gardiner.

While having King along for the ride has made the transition from Cat to Saint all the easier, it also has allowed Gardiner to find his feet in the new surrounds.

"I have never wanted to make a big deal of it, I have got one year and I will just have a crack and hope for the best," Gardiner said this week.

The 24-year-old is honest and raw. A commerce/law student at Melbourne University, Gardiner clearly thinks long and deep about his football and his future. He is candid in his own self-assessments.

The forward admits he did not want to leave Geelong at the end of the year. But even before the Cats' great season started to unfold, Gardiner knew he was on his last chance with the club, maybe the game.

"It wasn't something that I was thinking about during the year, that I wanted to move clubs, but the way that things have turned out, yeah, in hindsight, it has probably been the best thing for me. Time will tell but I have enjoyed it. Of all the clubs I could have gone to, I have ended up in one of the best positions I could have hoped for," Gardiner said.

"I was out of contract at the end of last year, so I treated it as my last shot at it. I didn't know (my future), I didn't play many games the year before and it's pretty competitive. For St Kilda to show faith in me, to actually want to get me on board has helped my confidence a bit. I want to repay some of their faith."

In some ways, Gardiner's shift to Moorabbin is full of ironies. For the Saints, a tall marking forward to replace Fraser Gehrig was necessary last October while the Cats had an abundance of forwards. Since then, Gehrig has made a surprise return to the game and Nathan Ablett has left Geelong.

While knowing the strength of the St Kilda forward line, which can contain the likes of Gehrig, Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke, Gardiner still believes it's where he can play his best football.

"I still think I can be effective as a forward. The thing about coming to a new club is you sort of shed some of the preconceptions and things that maybe held you back or the way that you were seen at a previous club. I feel like it is a fresh start. I know that you hear that from every player who starts at a new club, you are not there with expectations, you set your own agenda and I think that I am in with a shot."

Being part of Geelong, whatever the frustrations of not being a regular in the senior side, has given him a peek into what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

"Last year, I was really fit, I had a great pre-season, the whole team had a great summer, and I was feeling really confident and I played the first two games and then got dropped and I just didn't get another look in. I felt as though if I had (have) been given another opportunity, I would have played really well.

"I am confident, injury-free, that I can take that form into this year and hopefully play a few games for the Saints."

Had Gardiner stayed with the Cats, he would be looking for ways to break into the premiership line-up. As it is, he now will be helping the Saints look for ways to put aside their disappointments and replace Geelong as the competition's benchmark.

"I am just busting my arse on the track, like a lot of boys are. It's well documented that they were disappointed with last year, although they finished the season well. From what I can tell, there has been a concerted effort to throw everything at this summer and I have just tried to get on board and be part of that," he said.

"Who is to say how it is going to turn out, but I am putting my hand up … there are a lot of forwards, so I am not sure how they are going to go yet, so I just have to take my opportunities."