Desperate not to let their shot at Grand Final glory slip through their fingers, the Saints returned with a vengeance in 2010.

Another strong season saw the red, white and black finish third, advancing to an identical Preliminary Final line-up from the following year and emerging victorious over the Western Bulldogs.

The stage was set.

St Kilda seemed destined for their long-awaited triumph, with the 2010 Grand Final mirroring so many facets of the fabled 1966 victory.

Premiership heartbreak the year before off the back of a final quarter fadeout.  Another chance at the ultimate glory against Collingwood.  One kick spelling the difference between agony and ecstasy.  The script was perfect.

After going into half-time 24 points down, the Saints began to turn the tide.

Brendon Goddard’s iconic screamer and Lenny Hayes’ roost from long-range had the red, white and black just one straight kick from their second Premiership, and could have joined Barry Breen’s match-winning point as part of immortal club history.

With two minutes on the clock, the Saints found themselves a point down.

In one final moment of desperation, a tumbling Lenny Hayes kick inside 50 bounced over the Collingwood defence, a vacant Stephen Milne lying in wait just outside the goal square.

Milne was centimetres away from putting the Saints one step closer to a stunning triumph, before that bounce.

In a cruel twist, the ever-unpredictable Sherrin – bouncing at right angles – darted past the St Kilda goal-sneak and scurried through for a behind, levelling the scores.

The siren rang to the sound of pure disbelief from the Collingwood and St Kilda armies.

After the blood, sweat and tears, the Saints had given their utmost to no avail – and they had to do it all again next week.

The depleted Saints couldn’t muster enough strength to challenge the following week, going down by 56 points in the Grand Final replay. 

A move to Seaford at the end of 2010 saw the club virtually cut ties with Moorabbin, yet the memories of Grand Final heartbreak continued to haunt the Saints at their new home.

Ross Lyon’s shock departure to Fremantle at the end of 2011 was the kicker, which would send the Saints on a downward spiral.

The Saints plummeted to the bottom of the ladder, culminating in the club’s most recent wooden spoon in 2014.

Scott Watters’ reign as senior coach for the next two years bore little fruit, as champion players Brendon Goddard and Nick Dal Santo found new homes during the Saints’ lull.

Luke Ball had also found greener pastures and savoured Grand Final success for Collingwood in 2010 after a falling out with Lyon the year prior.

The club noted significant moments in its history with its first international game in New Zealand for Premiership points, but the three-year experiment for Anzac Day was short-lived.

With club greats Lenny Hayes, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna each calling time on their illustrious careers throughout the decade, it seemed as if their Premiership window had slammed shut.

There were glittering moments of hope throughout the decade, which put the Saints just shy of finals contention on a handful of occasions.

A stirring 55-point comeback against the Western Bulldogs in 2015, the significance of Maddie’s Match in honour of Nick Riewoldt’s late sister, the ‘I Love Lenny’ catch-cry for the Saints’ spiritual leader and Rooey’s 300^th all held a place in Saints hearts.

The next line of heroes began to emerge.

David Armitage and Seb Ross were a force through the midfield, Jack Steven’s explosive pace and creativity won him four Trevor Barker Awards, Jack Steele showed toughness week after week, while Jack Billings, Tim Membrey and Jade Gresham were earmarked as the next champions of the red, white and black.

St Kilda fell just short of the top-eight in 2016 and 2017 under Alan Richardson, but with Riewoldt’s retirement at the end of the year, a golden era had come to an end.

The loss of Riewoldt and Montagna coincided with the Saints’ dramatic nosedive the following year, in a season that was less-than-memorable at best.

The story went from bad to worse after Dylan Roberton’s on-field heart scare, ruling the resolute defender out of the game for two years.

St Kilda’s return to Moorabbin, now RSEA Park, was one of the few positives from 2018, with the once dilapidated and downtrodden facility revamped into a world-class multi-million dollar training and administration base.

While there was improvement in 2019 with a 4-1 start to the year, injury and substantial losses soured any chance of another rise up the ladder.

The heavy injury toll gave rise to St Kilda’s next generation of heroes, with Callum Wilkie, Josh Battle, Hunter Clark and fan-favourite Rowan Marshall entrenching themselves into the best-22 after continual starring efforts in an injury-plagued side.

But the positives found themselves surrounded by negatives; skipper Jarryn Geary’s broken leg in the club’s first outing in China a microcosm of the troubling year.

With Alan Richardson departing midway through the season and the outlook for the club appearing increasingly bleak, Brett Ratten assumed caretaker duties, sparking the Saints to a spirited finish to a rollercoaster year.

Danny Frawley’s tragic passing at the end of the season rocked the club to its core, leaving a larger-than-life hole in St Kilda's story.

But as St Kilda has done for nearly 150 years, the club would endure.

And change was coming.