Former Richmond premiership player Dan Butler proved a valuable pick-up for the Saints last year. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

ST KILDA
2020 record: 11 wins, 8 losses (5th)

THE INS
Brad Crouch (Adelaide), Jack Higgins (Richmond), James Frawley (Hawthorn), Shaun McKernan (Essendon), Matthew McLeod-Allison (Calder Cannons), Tom Highmore (South Adelaide)

THE OUTS
Nathan Brown (retired), Shane Savage (delisted), Nick Hind (Essendon), Jonathon Marsh (delisted), Ed Phillips (delisted), Matthew Parker (delisted), Logan Austin (delisted), Ryan Abbott (delisted), Doulton Langlands (delisted), Jack Mayo (delisted), Jack Bell (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
Under new coach Brett Ratten, the Saints quickly became one of the most attacking and exciting teams to watch last year, and much of their success came down to their brilliant recruiting spree in the previous off-season. St Kilda’s “foreign legion” of Dan Butler, Paddy Ryder, Zak Jones, Dougal Howard and Brad Hill combined to help give their new team a whole different look to the one Alan Richardson had been in charge of beforehand. Butler became one of the AFL’s best small forwards, Ryder formed a very strong partnership in the ruck with Rowan Marshall, Jones played arguably career-best footy and Howard was rock solid in defence. And given the Saints had so much success with recycled recruits last year, they can’t really be blamed for having another dip in 2021. Crouch and Higgins should slot straight into their starting line-up, while Frawley and McKernan offer additional depth to their list. Not only did Ratten’s “need for speed” game style, which was very similar to the one he employed while coaching Carlton in a previous life, take the Saints to their first finals series in nine years, they won their first final in a decade, which really was a huge stride forward. And who did they lose to in their second final? Eventual premier Richmond – hardly any shame in that. Ratten appears to have complete buy-in already from the playing group, which is really important. He looks like he really cares for his players and that strong bond seems to be a two-way street. And the emergence of Jack Steele as one of the game’s elite midfielders certainly helped St Kilda’s cause. Steele was absolutely sensational in 2020, finishing equal third in the Brownlow with 20 votes and earning All-Australian honours after averaging a club-best 22 disposals a game and ranking No.1 at the Saints for inside 50s and goal assists, while also finishing third in the AFL for tackles, sixth for contested possessions and eighth for clearances, to go with a career-high 11 goals. Down back, St Kilda has some extremely exciting young talent coming through in Hunter Clark, Howard, Callum Wilkie, Nick Coffield, Ben Paton and Ben Long, who are all under 25. If that unit sticks together for the long haul, it could end up becoming one of the best defensive groups in the AFL. Scoring was no issue for the Saints last year, either, as they finished with the fourth-best attack in the league. Butler is in career-best form, Max King already looks like he’s on the verge of turning into one of the most dominant forces in the game and with the likes of Jade Gresham, Dean Kent and now Higgins buzzing around, opposition backlines will have their hands full most of the time. Having Ryder and Marshall rotating and drifting forward is a luxury too. Speaking of Marshall, he has all the attributes to be a top-10 player in the AFL and his rapid progression over the last couple of years would have enthused the St Kilda faithful to no end. The way the Saints used captain Jarryn Geary as a defensive forward last year was very effective, too, but given his latest injury setback, it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to employ him in that role for the foreseeable future.

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THE WEAKNESSES
The Saints’ season could have been even better last year had they not suffered spectacular implosions against second-bottom North Melbourne and 12th-placed Fremantle. St Kilda led both sides by 31 and 36 points respectively, but ultimately capitulated and lost to them both by a kick. And when you chuck in other narrow losses to Melbourne and Brisbane, the Saints could look back on 2020 and justifiably think that a top-four spot went begging. Now, of course teams are always going to lose close games, but on all four occasions the Saints had the chance to win and failed. Late misses by Jones and Marshall cost them victory against Brisbane and Melbourne respectively. So putting the foot on the neck of weaker opponents and keeping it there is a non-negotiable this year, as is closing out games that are there for the taking. And as promising as their backline is, they still have the ninth-ranked defence in the league, so there’s still a bit to work to do before they realise their full potential. The absence of Jake Carlisle in the semi-final against Richmond as he attended the birth of his third child brought into sharp focus some potential positional vulnerability also. Tiger forward Tom Lynch ran rampant, registering 17 touches (10 contested), six marks (two), and if it wasn’t for his inaccuracy (2.5), the Saints would have lost by a lot more than 31 points. On differentials, the Saints ranked 11th for disposals and ninth for marks last season, so they would probably like to get more control of the ball and pump it inside 50 more. They ranked ninth overall for total forward entries, but third for goals per inside 50, which tells you how efficient they are once the ball actually gets in there. The addition of Crouch to the midfield and the hope of Hill returning to his best form after a slightly off season last year by his standards, could definitely help the Saints in that department.

ONE TO WATCH
It’s very exciting to think about just how good King could be in the next 12-24 months. In his first full year of AFL, away in a hub for most of the season, the 20-year-old kicked 22 goals, second only to Butler (29) at the Saints, and took an equal-club best 30 contested marks. In fact, 53 per cent of King’s marks were contested. He is already a huge focal point in attack, and with another pre-season or two in the gym, he could be close to unstoppable.

UNDER THE PUMP
Dan Hannebery showed how valuable he can be to this team in the finals, but the problem is he’s only managed 13 games in his first two years at the Saints. A raft of soft-tissue injuries have kept the premiership Swan on the sidelines for most of his time at Moorabbin, and with three years still to run on a five-year deal, both he and the Saints need to find a way to get his body right and built for the rigours of senior footy again. Otherwise, both parties will come out of this venture with egg on their face.

BEST 22
B: Hunter Clark, Dougal Howard, Callum Wilkie
HB: Nick Coffield, Jake Carlisle, Ben Paton
C: Brad Hill, Brad Crouch, Zak Jones
HF: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Dean Kent
F: Josh Battle, Max King, Dan Butler
R: Rowan Marshall, Jack Steele, Dan Hannebery
Inter: Paddy Ryder, Jack Billings, Ben Long, Jack Higgins
Emerg: Seb Ross, Jack Sinclair, Jack Lonie, Luke Dunstan

With Geary unfortunately suffering his second broken leg in three years last week, his ability to play a meaningful part in the 2021 campaign is in doubt. So for now, he has been left out of the squad. Same goes for defender Dylan Roberton, who is said to be seriously contemplating retirement as he continues to grapple with a heart issue. The Saints should take heart from a pretty strong group of emergencies, and with Frawley, Jimmy Webster, Daniel McKenzie and McKernan also waiting in the wings, St Kilda’s depth is pretty good. The availability of Dunstan after a serious pectoral injury is also a boost.