GOING into 2019, St Kilda would have looked at its round five fixture with Melbourne and been fearful of the havoc Max Gawn could wreak.

Recognised as one of the two dominant ruckmen in the competition, alongside Collingwood star Brodie Grundy, Gawn has established himself as an expert at the art of tapwork, while also having plenty of influence around the ground.

However, the emergence of 23-year-old Rowan Marshall has made the equation a little more even for the Saints.

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Previously more of a forward, he was behind Billy Longer and Lewis Pierce in the pecking order to take the mantle as the team's primary big man during the summer months.

There wasn't much in it though, with the club sporting perhaps the weakest ruck department in the AFL.

Longer, 25, was coming off a campaign where nothing went right for him, having had a limited pre-season then seeing his 2018 ended prematurely with left ankle surgery.

Pierce spent most of the season excelling for Frankston in the VFL, instead of the Saints' aligned side Sandringham, a move born out of a desire for the 24-year-old to play in his preferred position.

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Last season, the Saints chased restricted free agent Scott Lycett, who was fresh off winning a premiership with West Coast, but he opted to return home and join Port Adelaide.

There was also the departure of Tom Hickey, who left for the Eagles after being encouraged by St Kilda to explore his options. 

Marshall acknowledged it took time for him to learn how to ruck, spending plenty of time with assistant coaches Brendon Lade and Adam Skrobalak to improve his craft after being told at the start of pre-season by Alan Richardson he would be spending more time in the middle.

"Centre bounces was the one I had a little bit of trouble with early on, but I've certainly learned a lot more and have a lot more in my trick bag now," Marshall told AFL.com.au.

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"I just try to give the ruckmen different looks each week. It's just about changing it up.

"It's like a game of chess really, with the other ruckmen at the centre bounce."

Challenges don't come much tougher in footy than going up against Gawn, who is coming off a superb performance in Melbourne's first win of the season against Sydney last week.

Marshall is exceeding expectations though, having polled votes in the AFL Coaches' Association Player of the Year award in his past two games, a victory over Hawthorn (and the in-form Ben McEvoy) along with a narrow loss to Fremantle.

That form gives him confidence.

"I'm just going to try to exploit him with my run around the ground and hopefully that holds up well against him," Marshall said.

He missed out on the round one side after an impressive pre-season but took a philosophical approach, putting his head down, working hard and breaking into the 22 the following week.

Marshall might not be the most proficient at winning hitouts, being undersized for his position at 202cm, but he's ranked No.11 in the competition for clearances a game this year, while his marking has proved critical.

Perhaps these performances should have been expected for someone nicknamed 'The Prospect'.

However, that moniker didn't come about because of his exploits on the field.

"It actually had nothing to do with footy. We were playing a PlayStation game (Grand Theft Auto), and I always got stitched up with the role being a prospect. It actually comes from that," Marshall said.

"It's so left-field. It's bizarre, but somehow I got stitched up with that."

His contract is due to expire at season's end, but Marshall is thrilled about being at Moorabbin and St Kilda's 3-1 start.

"It's been awesome. It's the most I've ever enjoyed my footy," he said.

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