St Kilda defender Sam Fisher says the AFL club is hungry for back-to-back pre-season premierships, believing last year's win was an ideal launch pad for the season proper.

While some clubs take an ambivalent approach to the competition, regarding it as purely a warm-up for the premiership season, Fisher said the Saints were intent on instilling a winning culture.

"Last year going all the way and winning it certainly built some confidence throughout the group, so we'll definitely get out there and try to win every game in this NAB Cup," Fisher said on Tuesday.

"That's the culture we breed at St Kilda.

"When we go out there we try to win every game so we'll be doing exactly that this time around."

It will also give the Saints, who reached a preliminary final in last year's premiership season, a chance to showcase a host of new youngsters.

The club picked up six recruits in the national draft, as well as ex-Western Bulldog Farren Ray in a trade and six new rookies.

"We'll obviously be playing new guys in the NAB Cup, new draftees," Fisher said.

"We've got 13 new players at the club this year which is pretty much a quarter of our list has been turned over.

"So it's a great opportunity for those guys to come in and get some experience."

Fisher, the Saints' reigning best and fairest, recalled his disappointment at having his own chance to work his way into the side through the pre-season competition dashed in his debut year in 2004.

"This time of year I was looking forward to playing in the NAB Cup and getting a run," he said.

"But we had an intra-club trial the week before the NAB Cup started and (then teammate) Brent Guerra ran through me in that game and ended up cracking my collarbone, so I missed the NAB Cup completely.

"I didn't have an introduction to the AFL until the main season, I debuted in round seven, but I would have preferred to be given the opportunity to play in the NAB Cup."

The Saints play their opening pre-season game against Brisbane on the Gold Coast on February 14.

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