St Kilda best and fairest Lenny Hayes remains on track to play in Round 1 after making a successful recovery from post-season heart surgery.
The 32-year-old returned to preseason training on Tuesday just two months after undergoing an operation to repair a leaky valve in his heart.
Coach Scott Watters said the veteran midfielder had approached his rehabilitation with the same dedication as he had always shown with his football and was on track to face Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in the opening round.
"We're just rapt that he's 100 per cent healthy and still on the mend but looking forward to another full season and full pre-season out of him," Watters told reporters on Tuesday.
"It's a pretty good result for all concerned.
"He will be 100 percent come Round 1, ready to play.
"At 32, Lenny would have been on a modified program right now regardless of whether he had an operation."
Hayes is no stranger to overcoming adversity, having recovered this year from his second knee reconstruction to win a third club best and fairest.
The 2010 Norm Smith Medallist will attend the Saints' high-altitude training camp in Colorado at the end of this month.
"The way he presented himself after the operation he's been through... he's in terrific condition, on a modified program, but really looking forward to going to Colorado," Watters said.
"He's a terrific story for a million reasons. You run out of superlatives to describe the way he goes about his work."
Meanwhile Watters reported recruits Tom Lee, Tom Hickey and Trent Dennis-Lane had impressed since arriving at Seaford via the trade period.