Koroit's thirst for success burning away, says Jayden Watson

The multiple premiership defender, who has spent more time in the Saints midfield in 2021, described the club's shock 31-point defeat to North Warrnambool Eagles in round five as a wake-up call.

He said the loss had inspired Koroit, the six-time Hampden league reigning premier, to work even harder in pursuit of a seventh-straight flag.

"We were sort of put back in our place a bit, I suppose," Watson told The Standard.

"You see everyone is at training that bit earlier now and everyone is wanting to improve.

"That's just back in the group now and it's good. It gives us that bit more motivation."

Watson said he'd work to maintain his fitness throughout Victoria's seven-day circuit-breaker lockdown, which started on Thursday night. As a part of the restrictions, community sport was forced to grind to a halt.

Koroit was scheduled to play Warrnambool on Saturday in a bid to extend its season record to six wins and one loss. It's still unclear if the match and round will be rescheduled, points shared or scrapped entirely.

"We've had that sort of patchy start to the season in that (we'll now have) the two byes," he said.

"It's good to freshen up for one week but with multiple weeks off you probably lose that game touch and that little bit of game fitness again.

"You've just got to get back in the groove again and just go from there."

Watson said Koroit's plethora of youth, which have been trusted with more senior opportunities in 2021, were one to watch in the second half of the campaign.

"They've been doing really well and they've come in and have done their role pretty well," he said.

"We can't complain at all. It's just maybe gelling a bit more and they'll keep getting games under their belt and getting that experience.

"They'll keep learning our gameplan more and more each week as well."

Watson said he'd focus on weight training over the COVID-19 break and would manage running loads on a toe complaint.

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