Auckland-born St Kilda player Shane Savage is the public face of the AFL’s push into the New Zealand market, spearheaded by Friday’s Saints-Lions clash in Wellington.

An emergency for the Hawks on grand final day last year, the 23-year-old veteran of 60 games is determined to make a good fist of the second phase of his career after being part of the trade that involved ruckman Ben McEvoy joining Hawthorn.

And he’s confident the Saints and the AFL can have an impact on the New Zealand sporting landscape.

“I have a lot of family over here still,” Savage said after arriving in Wellington on Tuesday.

“My grandparents are in Auckland. I came to Australian when I was two years old.

“My aim is just to promote the game of the AFL footy and the St Kilda Saints over in Wellington and New Zealand.

“The Saints have been doing a really good job in that regard. My aim is to get people interested in the game and I think we’re all succeeding at that.

“We understand that rugby is the number one game over here. We’re not trying to come over here and take over.

“We think there is a lot of talent over here and a lot of athletes who can be really good AFL players.”

The one-game striking ban for small forward Adam Schneider could be the catalyst for the return of 185cm utility Savage to St Kilda’s senior side after gathering 27 disposals in the VFL last week.