Koroit midfielder's impressive vein of form catches coaches eye.

The 21-year-old, who secured his second best on ground honour on Satuday to go with four other top player mentions this year, has become a critical player in the Saints' midfield since making his debut in 2017.

"He has been fantastic in taking his game to a new level," McLaren said of the premiership player after the 23.17 (155) to 2.6 (18) victory over Hamilton Kangaroos.

"He had a good season last year and this year he has put more hard work into his game.

"He has put the work into all aspects of it and has gone from a good contributor to all of a sudden playing interleague and being one of the best players there to being one of our best. It's really pleasing to see him doing well."

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Pulling has played every game this season, after 19 in 2018 and 17 in 2017, kicking seven goals in that time - including two on Saturday.

McLaren said the thumping 137-point victory was another step in the right direction for his side.

"It was one of those days where we worked well and to players credit they came in with good mindset," he said.

"They look like they are starting to focus, and I didn't expect them to flick a switch instantly but we have been slowly building in the last three to four weeks, and we hope to keep that going."

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