Dean Cox is aiming to take down his old master when West Coast tackle AFL rivals St Kilda at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

Eagles ruckman Cox has been entrusted with the exciting task of helping emerging talent Nic Naitanui reach his potential.

But it wasn't that long ago Cox was learning his trade off Michael Gardiner, who will return to his former stomping ground as part of a St Kilda unit desperate to halt their slide down the table.

"He's a player that really helped shape my AFL career," Cox reflected.

"I looked up to him because of the way he was playing when I was a young, aspiring ruckman."

"I think Gardy's one of the first ruckmen who really knew how to position himself around the ground.

"He really prided himself on getting out in wide open space and taking uncontested marks.

"Having trained on him for a long period of time, it was great to develop that into my game and realise that it was going to be a strength."

Gardiner booted three goals in St Kilda's 12-point loss to Essendon last week and Cox said he would have to keep a close eye on his former teammate.

Naitanui has shown flashes of brilliance during his 18-game career and Cox believed his young protege could revolutionise the role of a ruckman.

"He's an amazing talent and some of the things he does on the football field I wish I could do," Cox said.

"He can jump on someone's head from a one step run-up and his ability to pick up the ball after a contest and his clearance work is fantastic.

"He's a fantastic handball and he's a reasonable shot for goal.

"I think it's only onwards and upwards for him."

Cox, who endured a limited pre-season campaign due to a groin injury, was a shadow of his former self in the early rounds of this season.

But the four-times All-Australian has quickly regained peak touch and said he held no ill feelings towards the critics who wrote him off.

"It's the nature of the industry we're in," he said.

"If you're not performing to a level where you've set a benchmark for yourself over a number of years then you're open to criticism.

"The people that mattered most realised the pre-season I did have so I wasn't really worried about the outside people making a judgement on my performances."

The Eagles, aiming for three wins on the trot, have been boosted by the return of Andrew Embley from suspension, but skipper Darren Glass will miss the game with a groin injury.

Mark Nicoski has been dropped, with Beau Wilkes making his way into the side.

Teenage forward Rhys Stanley will make his AFL debut for the Saints, while Brett Peake and Raphael Clarke are other inclusions.

Jason Gram (hamstring/groin) couldn't be considered while David Armitage and Jarryn Geary were axed.

St Kilda have won just twice since Nick Riewoldt went down with a hamstring injury in round three but Cox still rated the Saints as a definite top-four side.

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