There will be plenty of reasons to celebrate in 2023, with a special birthday and a number of player milestones on the horizon…
200 games – Seb Ross (181)
Now closing in on the 200-game milestone, Seb Ross has been one of the Saints' most reliable players for the past decade since being taken with pick No. 25 in the 2011 National Draft.
A dual club best-and-fairest winner, Ross has averaged over 25 touches per game in five of his last seven seasons. The 29-year-old enters 2023 off the back of another strong campaign, finishing fifth in last season’s Trevor Barker Award.
Ross will be just the second player on the club's 2023 list to surpass 200 games, joining Bradley Hill who reached the milestone in Round 10, 2022.
2️⃣3️⃣ pre-seasons between em.
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) December 13, 2022
Still loving it 🫶 pic.twitter.com/To3QMbSh3j
150 games – Jack Sinclair (141), Jack Steele (137), Brad Crouch (136), Jimmy Webster (133), Zak Jones (132)
The 150-game hopefuls list is brimming with talent, headlined by star duo Jack Sinclair and Jack Steele.
Both Jacks realised their AFL dreams in the 2014 draft period, Steele being selected in the second round of the National Draft by the Giants, while the Saints snared Sinclair with pick No. 1 in the Rookie Draft.
Each have since become bona fide stars of the competition and favourites of the Saints faithful.
Sincs thought a wings pic would be a funny idea.
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) December 11, 2022
Sincs was right 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3JsZhtFCyr
Crouch and Jones joined the club from Adelaide and Sydney respectively in recent years and could also celebrate their 150-game milestones in 2023, while Webster has rocketed to the 150-game milestone after taking almost a decade to tip into triple figures.
100 games – Mason Wood (93), Rowan Marshall (86), Callum Wilkie (85), Jack Higgins (80), Josh Battle (77)
This group doesn’t need any excuse to produce a big smile, but there could be good reason this year, with all three approaching triple digits.
Rowan Marshall (2016) and Callum Wilkie (2018) were both shrewd Rookie Draft selections by the Saints and have established themselves as two of the first names on the whiteboard come team selection.
First Ro 😁 of pre-season pic.twitter.com/XuoEEYyIKA
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) December 7, 2022
Jack Higgins came across from the Tigers in the 2020 trade period to provide a spark up forward, kicking 57 goals in his two seasons in the red, white and black, while Mason Wood has become a regular of the line-up since crossing from North Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Josh Battle is due to raise the bat should he play every game this season.
150 years – St Kilda Football Club
The Saints will celebrate their 150-year anniversary in Round 3 against Essendon on 1 April in a special Saturday night MCG blockbuster.
The official 150-year birthday is the following day, 2 April, and Saints fans will be hoping they’re still riding the high of a win against their Victorian rivals.