Recent draftees Jade Gresham and Nick O’Kearney are in the closing stages of their maiden pre-season at St Kilda and have persistently impressed throughout the summer with their work ethic and desire to get the most out of themselves.

Transitioning from under-18 football to life inside an AFL tent can be difficult for some to grasp, but not for these two, according to Saints Senior Assistant Coach Adam Kingsley who has worked closely with the pair over their first few months at the club.

“They’ve transitioned really well. Both of those guys are prepared to work so that helps,” Kingsley told saints.com.au as part of his midfield update.

“If they come in thinking that they’ve done the work and they can put their feet up for a while then it doesn’t necessarily go well for them.

“But those guys have got to work; they’re prepared to get into the offices to learn the structures, to watch the vision and learn in that space.”

Both Gresham and O’Kearney went to school together, albeit in different year levels at Parade College. The pair played together at Vic Metro, but took different paths to the Saints, despite both producing standout top-age seasons last year.

St Kilda called out Gresham’s name with selection 18 in the National Draft, on the back of a season where the ball-magnet collected an array of accolades including the TAC Cup Coaches Award, Vic Metro’s MVP Award and All Australian honours. A comprehensive portfolio in football economy.

After being overlooked in the National Draft, O’Kearney was quickly snaffled by the Saints in the Rookie Draft with selection No. 5. Similar to Gresham, the Calder Cannons midfielder produced a stellar campaign, winning All Australian and TAC Cup Team of the Year honours to go with the best and fairest he won at the Cannons in his underage season.

For Kingsley, the pair’s attitude isn’t the only thing that has impressed him thus far. Both have stood out on the training track in different ways to suggest the Saints have a couple more bona-fide midfield options in their hands.

“But also when they get on the training track they work hard – jeez they do some really impressive things,” Kingsley said.

“Jade Gresham’s agility and his ability to win the ball in tight contests is pretty special, so I think our supporters are going to really enjoy watching him play.

“Nick O’Kearney can get the ball a lot, he’s a little bit more of an outside player, but he’s a great runner – he’ll find a lot of space, particularly on some of the bigger grounds. I think we’ve got two pretty good midfielders there.”