HE'S ST Kilda's shining light who almost didn't end up at the club.

Coming off what coach Alan Richardson described as Jade Gresham's most complete game of his career, the Saints must be ecstatic they held firm in trade negotiations more than three years ago. 

At the end of 2015, Jake Carlisle wanted to leave Essendon and chose St Kilda as his destination of choice.

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After a fortnight of tense negotiations, a deal hadn't been done, because the Saints weren't willing to give up its prized No.5 pick without seeing another first-rounder come back in.

Pressure mounted, especially so when Hawthorn made a shock late bid to land the key defender. Legendary coach Alastair Clarkson even flew to the US to make his pitch to the holidaying Carlisle. 

St Kilda didn't buckle and Sydney's involvement facilitated a three-way deal which saw the Saints land the No.14 pick, along with the backman. 

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Their selection ended up slipping to No.18 after academy picks were taken. The club had him higher than that on its draft board, but it was enough to land Gresham. 

There were two main queries that meant he was touted as going around the teens and not higher: lack of size and a limited tank. 

At 177cm, his stature isn't comparable with some his contemporaries such as Patrick Cripps (195cm) and Marcus Bontempelli (193cm). 

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Gresham's endurance has never been elite but have just gone through his first full pre-season allowed him to become fitter and stronger. 

On the other hand, his assets are undeniable. 

Gresham has always been a big-game player. That shows up in the stats – he's booted 2.7 goals per game at the MCG, compared to a career average of 1.2.

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Breaking it down further, he's booted bags of six, five and four once each throughout his career. All were at the home of football. Two of those occasions were over the past two seasons against a powerhouse Richmond, and the other came in a narrow win over a Melbourne side that went on to make a preliminary final. 

He's already had some thrilling moments in heart-stopping circumstances. There was this brilliant curling snap that might have saved Richardson's job in 2018 to break a three-month winless streak.

This as well, in his first year no less, to help the Saints overcome a top-four bound Geelong. 

Glimpses like that early in his career showed St Kilda's hierarchy it had a special talent on its hands.

Also in that clip is the wicked sidestep few others have. It's a trait more often seen in rugby players but Gresham is a classic 'footy head' who loves having a Sherrin in his hands. 

Add in his burst, durability (he's missed four games in his career, three early in his first year because he wasn't selected), sweet foot skills and a cheeky personality that makes him popular among teammates, it's some sort of package.

His contract will expire at season's end but St Kilda is desperate to keep him. 

It's understood Gresham, 21, wants to see how the Saints perform after a disastrous 2018 before recommitting to the club. 

The man himself was emphatic, with his side's 2-0 start leading Gresham to tell AFL.com.au he's not considering a move elsewhere. 

"Definitely not. I'm happy here and really enjoying the vibes around the place at the minute," Gresham said.