Savage booted six goals in the Seagulls' 10-point loss to Terang Mortlake on Saturday.

His haul included a match-changing display in the third quarter which helped the Winis Imbi-coached side claw its way back from a 37-point half-time deficit to be five points down at the final change.

Imbi said the club, which finds itself winless after the first three rounds of the 2021 Hampden league season, was a work in progress.

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He believes Savage - a former AFL player in his first year out of the elite system - will benefit from a consistent game style.

"In the third quarter we had composure with ball in hand and that will play to Shane's strengths because if we become more consistent in the way we use the ball, then he and other people can run into really good positions," Imbi said.

"As I said to the boys at three-quarter-time, I wasn't going to show them a magic trick. I showed them again what I talked to them about at half-time and what I talked about at quarter-time and what we've been talking about at training.

"It was good, encouraging signs that the boys are picking things up and want to invest as well because that could've been a different score-line (based on the first half)."

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Imbi said the Seagulls were finding their way with a new-look team.

"I liken it to a baby giraffe. Even though a baby giraffe can walk when it's born, it's still growing and that's like us," he said. "It is taking the boys time to adjust to what we want to do."

Imbi was happy with second-gamer Jack Carter and debutant Riley Riordan.

"Jack trains regularly and he's invested so his name got called," he said.

"There were times he got beaten but he held his own on occasions as well which we're really proud of.

"Riley, like others, there's things he needs to improve on but he'll get another go. We're not going to chop and change. He had some real dangerous moments there, he was sound defensively at times."

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