At their brand new base in Seaford, the Saints drifted through one by one for their official head shots.
Ever the professional, Brendon Goddard was the first to arrive at 7.45am to have his portrait taken. It was Goddard's first interaction with the media for the season but if his form in recent years is any guide, he is sure to feature in the spotlight on more occasions than this.
Click here to see images from the Saints' pre-season photo shoot
Teammate Lenny Hayes was next up, while Steven Baker got his shoot over and done with a few hours earlier than planned when he simply popped his head in to the new basketball court at the Linen House complex to check out what was going on.
A bearded Leigh Montagna and a bubbly Ross Lyon followed soon after before the group headed off to a 9am training session.
Still exploring their new surrounds, several Saints spent their lunch break shooting hoops in the new facility, a significant improvement on the crumbling Moorabbin squash court that hosted press conferences over the past two years
Nick Riewoldt, Michael Gardiner, Tom Lynch, Brett Peake and Tommy Walsh all honed their jump shots while David Armitage and James Gwilt had a hit of cricket in the background.
For a club that has faced its share of issues over the past month there was plenty of laughter among the team as they lined up for the team shot.
Wearing their new-look jumper with black trim, the Saints looked as formidable as a football team can appear in the middle of January.
As is tradition, the seats were reserved for the most senior members of the team. No one was quite sure how Richmond recruit Dean Polo managed to score a spot on the end but the newbie appeared comfortable among his new teammates
At the other end of the bench, Stephen Milne played up to his usual role as the most vocal of the bunch.
With the photo shoot wrapped up, it was back to the court where junior basketball star Jason Gram casually sank several three-pointers in a row.
Traditionalists who lament that football is turning into basketball would feel vindicated observing that the game of giants has become the number one downtime activity at St Kilda, but there is no chance these players will be trading in the oval ball. There's unfinished business to take care of.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
