Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has shown a new element to his mesmerising game, kicking four goals in St Kilda's AFL pre-season win over Essendon.
Re-signed last year on a monster two-year deal and already one of the game's most exciting players, Wanganeen-Milera showed on Saturday in Ballarat that he is ready to go up to another level.
The Saints played him out of the goalsquare for a lot of the game to deadly effect, with new recruit and fellow Indigenous player Liam Ryan setting up Wanganeen-Milera for two of his goals.
But the 43-point win came at a worrying cost, with new co-captain Cal Wilkie taken out of the game in the first quarter with a calf muscle injury.
Ryan Byrnes hurt his ankle in the third term in the 17.13 (115) to 10.12 (72) win, eight days out from their opening-round blockbuster against Collingwood at the MCG.
Byrnes was on crutches post-match and Wilkie was also limping - a big worry for the Saints given his importance to their defence.
The Magpies game will have a sub-plot that is worth the price of admission - Wanganeen-Milera and Collingwood's candidate for the most exciting player in the AFL, their superstar midfielder Nick Daicos.
Speaking on Fox Footy's broadcast, former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley raised eyebrows when he hailed Wanganeen-Milera as now having that mantle.
"Nick Daicos, if you're listening, you're a great player," Hinkley added.
Wanganeen-Milera built his reputation off half-back or on the ball and he set up a goal in the last quarter with a trademark blistering run down the wing.
But the deep-forward role will be a nightmare for opposition backlines.
"They just give him the ball at all costs, and rightly so, with what he's able to do," Hinkley said.
"It's impossible to coach against, because he can (play) half-back, inside and full forward. He's a real weapon for Ross (coach Ross Lyon) and I'm sure he'll use him that way."
Wanganeen-Milera and Ryan, the former West Coast player, loom as a potent double act in St Kilda's forward line.
"When you have blokes like him (Ryan) kicking it to you in the forward line, it makes it a whole lot easier," Wanganeen-Miler said post-match.
Ryan was then asked how tempting it is to look for Wanganeen-Milera with a pass into attack.
"When you've got a wingspan that big, it's not that hard to bloody put it into space for him - and he's pretty quick," Ryan replied.
The Saint's new ruck combination of star recruit Tom De Koning and Rowan Marshall also showed promise, while onballer Marcus Windhager had a game-high 41 disposals and injury-plagued young gun Mattaes Phillipou had a solid hitout.
Essendon gave up 10 goals to four in the second half, but after last year's injury-hit shambles there are solid signs of life.
Round-one draftee Dyson Sharp will surely make his AFL debut in round one against Hawthorn, while defender Zach Reid was solid as he tries to consign his injury troubles to history.
