ST KILDA fans streaming out of the MCG last Thursday night would have relished the walk down Brunton Avenue, or through a dark Yarra Park, back to Richmond Station. The talk on the Sandringham line would have focused on Jack Higgins' goal from the boundary.

And it would have also centred around the draft class of 2021. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (pick No.11), Mitch Owens (pick No.33) and Marcus Windhager (pick No.47) all had a massive impact on a big night for the club with Spud's Game taking centre stage at the start of round two. 

They have proven to be very astute picks, made by a previous list management team that included James Gallagher, Chris Toce and Chris Liberatore. Wanganeen-Milera was considered by some clubs to be a flight risk, but the South Australian has settled in nicely at RSEA Park. St Kilda matched bids on Owens (Sydney) and Windhager (Geelong) to keep its Next Generation Academy products. 

Wanganeen-Milera collected 10 votes from the coaches after slicing Collingwood apart off half-back, finishing with 32 disposals, eight intercepts and 613 metres gained. After finishing fifth in last year's Trevor Barker Award, the 21-year-old in the famous No.7 guernsey looks poised to reach another level in 2024. Playing alongside dual All-Australian Jack Sinclair and pre-season draft pick Riley Bonner, the Saints have a potent mix behind the ball. While the masses were filing out of the ground, Ross Lyon said there is no more dedicated player at the club late last Thursday night.

Owens was widely feted last year, producing a standout second season to finish third in the Rising Star Award behind Harry Sheezel and Will Ashcroft, stepping up in the absence of Max King and Tim Membrey for large chunks of the season to hold down one of the toughest gigs in the game. He collected 22 touches, 10 contested possessions and was involved in nine scores against the reigning premier. Last year was, clearly, just the beginning. 

On a night where the club – and the game – paid tribute to the late Danny Frawley, Windhager did the No.2 guernsey proud, producing his most telling performance yet. He collected votes from the coaches after finishing with 24 disposals, 16 contested possessions – the most on the ground – and seven clearances (six centre clearances). He also limited the influence of Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos. 

St Kilda's history at the draft in the past decade hasn't been great. No one is left from the 2014 or 2015 class. Josh Battle is the lone survivor from 2016. King is the last one from 2018. They have struck gold at the Rookie Draft with Sinclair, Callum Wilkie and Rowan Marshall all becoming stars, but not had enough success in the national draft. That is why the class of 2021 is so important to the long-term success, plus the injection of Mattaes Phillipou (pick No.10 in 2022) and Darcy Wilson (pick No.18 in 2023). 

St Kilda exceeded expectations in Lyon's first season back at Moorabbin. The Saints spent the entire season in the eight and played a final, despite the absence of King and Membrey for much of the year.  

The key area of improvement at the Saints across the first fortnight of 2024 is their ability to turn inside 50s into scores. They were ranked 18th for this in 2023. Right now, they are fifth, converting 47.5 per cent of entries into scores. This was the area that let them down last year, scoring above 93 points only twice. 

St Kilda has also made a big improvement in points from turnover, averaging 59.5 (No.4) in 2024 compared to 47.4 (No.11) in 2023. Last Thursday night, it put Collingwood to the sword in this area, scoring 79 points on turnover. That figure was more than in any game last season. 

The Saints have not only improved their running power over the pre-season with the additions of Wilson and Bonner on the outside, they have also generated an instant spike in clearance differential, rising from 15th last year to fifth to start 2024. Captain Jack Steele is up and going after a tough 2023. Marshall has also picked up where he left off last year when he was named in the 44-man All-Australian squad. 

Last year, St Kilda was rated the best team by Champion Data for transitioning the ball from defensive 50 to inside 50. This year it is 18th. But when it regains the ball in defensive midfield, it is the third best side transitioning it inside 50. Craig McRae's side made that an art in 2023.  

St Kilda is equal 10th for average age (24.5) and 11th for average games (69.4) across the list in 2024. It had seven players with under 50 games of experience last Thursday night, including Wanganeen-Milera, Owens and Windhager. 

After being active in the trade space between 2018 and 2020 with varying degrees of success – Dan Hannebery, Bradley Hill, Dougal Howard, Dan Butler, Jack Higgins, Dean Kent, Zak Jones and Paddy Ryder – under a past regime, Stephen Silvagni and Graeme Allan have prioritised the draft in recent years. 

It all started in 2021.