K Rock Football | St Mary’s co-coach Luke Rayner is bracing for some long nights around the selection table come September as a host of big-name players return ahead of the club’s ninth consecutive finals campaign.

The Saints, who have used 39 players across the 2026 season, will close in on something resembling full availability in the next fortnight.

On Sunday against Geelong West, two-time Mathieson medallist Harry Benson, captain Jack Blood, and the versatile Charlie Sprague make their returns.

Ryan Pendlebury and Charlie Lang are also available.

The following week, Frank Fopiani medallist Keidan Rayner, who is being managed this week, talisman Paddy Dowling, co-captain Brayden Ham, and young gun Ollie Flynn should be right to take on Colac.

Rayner expects St Mary’s, which can only lose the minor premiership with disastrous losses, will get back Sam Bourke for the second semi-final, and talented ruck Fletcher Hughes could be available depending on how far Port Melbourne progresses in the VFL finals.

“If we’re healthy there’s going to be probably four or four or five genuinely unlucky players to miss out,” he said.

“Now healthy with an “if” is a big word I reckon because my experience is that you’re rarely 100 per cent healthy.

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