ST KILDA coach Alan Richardson has admitted that he made a mistake by selecting injured key forward Josh Bruce in last week's loss to Adelaide.
Forced to undergo a fitness test on the eve of the clash for a corked quad, Bruce had little impact, going goalless from just seven disposals as the Crows' key defenders dominated in the air.
Richardson put his hand up to own the decision ahead of the Saints' trip to face Bruce's former side Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.
FULL INJURY LIST Who's ruled out and who's a test?
"'Brucey' probably wasn't at his best physically last week, he did a good job to put his hand up, (but) in hindsight, probably my call in terms of playing him," Richardson said on Friday.
"If I had my time again I probably wouldn't (have played Bruce).
"But now that it's been two weeks (since the corkie in round five), he's fine, he'll want to play well against his former team.
"We just got that one wrong last week. We rolled the dice.
"Corkies are something that gradually get better, we thought he was getting better.
"He started the game really well, he wasn't able to finish the game as strongly, but that was my call, not his. I'll accept that one."
Midfielder Jack Steven will miss his third match of the season as he continues to deal with his mental health, Richardson flagging the potential of a long lay-off for the four-time best and fairest.
"We can't really put a timeline on things, it'll be when Jack's right to come back and play," Richardson said.
"All the way through Jack's struggled to continue to present himself in a manner to both train and then to play.
"He's an exceptional footballer, we know that, so he's been able to perform at a reasonable level on the footy field; in fact (he was) quite impressive last weekend.
"Just the whole commitment to footy and to be at the footy club all the time was a bit much for him.
"We thought, and his experts thought, that playing footy was the right thing to do so that's the avenue we went down.
"But now clearly having a break, and it may be an extended break, is the right way to go."
Veteran Nathan Brown has been dropped on a combination of form and match-ups against Giants forwards, paving the way for former Pie Jonathon Marsh to debut for the Saints.
Brown will head to Canberra as one of two travelling emergencies alongside midfielder Ed Phillips, while injured draftee Jack Bytel will also get a taste for an interstate trip.
Richardson also revealed No.4 draft pick Max King, who last year required an ACL reconstruction, was on track to play his first game for Sandringham next week in the VFL.
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