St Kilda captain Jarryn Geary will carry a bigger burden after the loss of several senior teammates. Photo: AFL MEDIA

ST KILDA
2018 record: 4 wins, 17 losses, 1 draw (16th)
List age ranking (oldest to youngest): 12th
List experience ranking (most to fewest games): 14th
Footyology draw ranking (easiest to hardest): 1st

THE INS
Dan Hannebery (Sydney), Dean Kent (Melbourne), Max King (Sandringham Dragons), Jack Bytel (Calder Cannons), Matthew Parker (South Fremantle), Nick Hind (Essendon VFL), Robbie Young (North Adelaide), Callum Wilkie (North Adelaide), Sam Alabakis (Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks – NCAA)

THE OUTS
Tom Hickey (West Coast), Maverick Weller (delisted – Richmond), Darren Minchington (delisted – Hawthorn), Hugh Goddard (delisted – Carlton), Koby Stevens (retired), Ray Connellan (delisted), Nathan Freeman (delisted), Nathan Wright (delisted), Sam Gilbert (delisted)

THE BEST 22
B: Dylan Roberton, Nathan Brown, Jarryn Geary
HB: Jimmy Webster, Jake Carlisle, Shane Savage
C: Seb Ross, Jack Steele, Blake Acres
HF: Jade Gresham, Josh Bruce, Dean Kent
F: Jack Billings, Tim Membrey, Paddy McCartin
R: Billy Longer, Jack Steven, Dan Hannebery
Inter: Jack Sinclair, David Armitage, Daniel McKenzie, Matthew Parker
Emerg: Luke Dunstan, Jack Newnes, Jack Lonie, Nick Hind

THE PROGNOSIS
St Kilda’s best 22 on paper, as above, isn’t a bad line-up. The sad reality for the Saints heading into the new season, however, is that it’s likely to remain merely a concept.

As if the Saints, and their under-the-pump coach Alan Richardson didn’t have enough challenges ahead of them already, it’s been a disastrous post-Christmas period in terms of personnel.

Key defender Jake Carlisle, a critical part of the equation, has had back surgery and is unlikely to play more than a handful of games towards the end of the season.

Four-time and reigning best and fairest Jack Steven has taken leave of absence to deal with mental health issues and his return is speculative. And prize recruit Dan Hannebery has had continued hamstring issues and is unlikely to start the season proper.

The team St Kilda will put on the park without that trio is a considerably thinner proposition, much shorter on class and genuine game-breakers. And that makes 2019 for the Saints a potential nightmare.

Three areas of the game conspired to make St Kilda’s 2018 a total bust, a lack of applied pressure, overuse of handball and shocking inaccuracy.

The pressure which had been a cornerstone of the Saints’ previous couple of seasons fell away dramatically, leaving an already overworked defensive unit with far too much work to do.

The Saints had the lowest kick-to-handball ratio in the competition last year, but in a side hardly loaded with pace, their use of hands was too often a get-out-of-trouble option than an attacking measure splitting the game open.

And their woeful conversion became a byword for their 2018, St Kilda kicking goals from just 19.8 per cent of their inside 50 entries, the fifth-worst result ever recorded by official AFL stats provider Champion Data. But cleaning up their act is going to be easier said than done without every leading hand on deck.

Lack of leg speed is one area the Saints have already worked to address with the addition of a clutch of mature age recruits. Former Demon Dean Kent, VFL defender Nick Hind and interstate pair Matthew Parker and Robbie Young all have pace and some excitement, though whether it can be delivered in the right areas of the ground is also a valid question.

Beyond that, much will rest with key forwards Paddy McCartin, Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce clicking again as a combination like they once did, highly-touted draftee Max King adding something, and a large band of players who have been around the scene a while now taking their games to a higher level.

Jade Gresham has already shown signs of doing just that. Things might look a lot brighter for the Saints if the likes of the other Jacks – Billings, Steele, Lonie and Sinclair – plus Jimmy Webster, Blake Acres, Luke Dunstan and last year’s draftees like Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield can as well.

But that’s with everything going right. And if the last few months are any indication, St Kilda can’t be relying on that this season.

THE PREDICTION
17th. St Kilda takes on Gold Coast to open the year before a string of much tougher assignments. If it can’t win first-up, you can expect the pressure to heap on the club and its coach very quickly indeed.

THE LADDER SO FAR (click on team to read)
17. ST KILDA
18. GOLD COAST