Riewoldt's knee fine for decider

ST KILDA skipper Nick Riewoldt is not battling a serious knee problem, according to his coach Ross Lyon, who says it is simply a jarring issue.

Riewoldt, who further enhanced his status with a best-on-ground four goals – including the matchwinner, has been troubled by a knee issue in recent weeks.

But the third-year St Kilda coach is adamant it is simply a jarring issue and nothing more. 

"To be frank, there is nothing wrong with it, except that it can jar occasionally," Lyon said.

"He trains all of the time … Nick's knee, he certainly hurt it there over the pre-season or whatever it was, because he had that cyst and we were really worried leading into round one. He hadn't ended up training and that's why he started so slowly.

"Fundamentally, as much as he gets some soreness occasionally, it's structurally sound – there's not an injury, so I've got to be really clear on that.

"There have been some articles written on Nick Riewoldt's knee and it's way out of kilter – he's not injured. But it's like when you've got tendonitis, you knock it and it gets sore … you can't do what he does if he's injured."

Meanwhile, Lyon said St Kilda's only remaining member from its most recent grand final in 1997 – defender Max Hudghton – remains in the mix for selection.

"Max is a special member of our list. He'll be hurting in a sense, but he'll be thrilled. He'll be torn, so I understand that," he said.

"But we've made the calls … he was close in a sense and when Zac [Dawson] was mismatched a couple of times, I thought gee whiz, maybe I should've done that [played Hudghton].

"But until we come through unscathed, we'll make the decision and we'll pick the best team and he's such a competitor."

As for what St Kilda needs to do to win its second premiership – and first since 1966 – Lyon believes it needs to start better, be better organised and not overuse the ball.

"We had Leigh Matthews talk the other week and the principles are the same – prepare really well, stay focused, enjoy the week and we've got to come and do the basics really well. That's the message," he said.