Always bring your notepad. 

St Kilda has handled an injury crisis and patchy pre-season form to start Ross Lyon's second stint in charge of the club with three wins from three starts, starting the 150th anniversary of the club in style. 

Plenty has changed since the 56-year-old was appointed to replace Brett Ratten in October. The football department is very different. The band is back together. And they've brought fresh ideas and a new program. 

Tweaks in the schedule mean the Saints no longer hold a formal captain's run. They have two days off after a Friday or Saturday game. Mondays are off. And if you don't bring your notepad to a meeting, whether you're a player, coach or official, don't bother coming. 

But how do we quantify what's changed in the way St Kilda play in 2023 compared to a 2022 campaign where the Saints won five of their first six games and reached the mid-season bye 8-3 before missing out on September?

We knew St Kilda was going to be tough to score against under Lyon – that's what led them to back-to-back Grand Final appearances in 2009 and 2010 – we just didn't know the system was going to work this well, this quickly. 

With acting skipper Cal Wilkie, star key defender Dougal Howard and All-Australian half-back Jack Sinclair directing traffic down back, the Saints have conceded only 55.7 points against per game (ranked No.1) in the AFL after conceding 78.0 per game (No.7) in 2022. 

To put it simply, the improvement has come from the Saints having one of the best defensive units in the game right now. They are far better at restricting the opposition both on defence and attack via a disciplined approach. 

They are No.2 for scores against per inside 50 (34.7 per cent) and No.3 for points from turnover differential (+27.0) and opposition defensive 50 to forward 50 transitions (17.7%). After averaging just +0.8 (No.10) in points from turnovers last year, they are now the third best in the competition.

St Kilda's defence

St Kilda is ranked No.1 for boundary use on transition from defensive 50 (63.7%) and No.18 for corridor use from defensive 50, making them harder to score against on turnover. They are ranked No.1 for ball movement, No.3 for uncontested marks and No.7 for kick forward percentage, yet No.17 for kick long percentage. A clear tactical tweak. 

Lyon and the brains trust inside the box – Corey Enright, Robert Harvey and Lenny Hayes – have devised a game plan that maximises the assets wearing red, white and black and minimises the limitations of a list that many didn’t expect to spend much time outside the bottom four in 2023. 

With captain Jack Steele recovering from a broken collarbone and not many other big inside midfielders on the list, the Saints get beaten at clearance but not at post clearance. They are ranked No.3 at how often they win contested possessions once the ball leaves a stoppage. 

The Saints are playing a high possession brand to start the year, ranked No.1 for disposals, kicks and No.3 for marks per game across the first three rounds.

AFL Player Ratings

While Mason Wood has made an instant impact under a new regime at RSEA Park, the former North Melbourne utility is not the only player to enjoy a spike in output. 

Mitch Owens has made a big leap by 7.5 rating points according to Champion Data, while Seb Ross (+3.1) and Wilkie (+3.0) have also made strong growth, but Wood (+6.7) has been the headline case, polling the fifth most coaches votes in the AFL to be rated the second-best wingman in the game ahead of round four. 

Three games don't make a season – and that is a lot of numbers to digest above – but as the leaves continue turning red and some start to fall, St Kilda sits atop the ladder with the most points of anyone, along with Collingwood. 

Only eight sides have missed finals after starting 3-0 since 2020, including Carlton last year. Lyon isn't thinking about next week, let alone September, just yet. 

No one saw this coming, especially with so many key outs to start the year, but the system is stacking up. That system is why notepads are essential in every meeting, which they weren't between Lyon's first and second stints at the club. 

More than half the list is currently enrolled in a university course – Mason Wood, Tom Campbell and Zaine Cordy have finished a degree – but there is no institution in the country like the school of Lyon.