Stephen Milne holds a special place in the hearts of the St Kilda faithful.
But for the opposition, the beloved goal-sneak reserved a spot of a different – and unmistakably permanent – kind.
To them, he was the thorn in their side they simply couldn't tolerate.
There was no shortage of colourful ways for those over the fence to describe ‘Milney’, with his knack for freakish goals and unrelenting antagonism a constant source of frustration.
And it was on this day 2005 when the No. 44 was at his irritating best, ramming home a career-best 11 goals against Brisbane at Telstra Dome.
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The 46,105 in attendance were witness to one the greatest displays ever by a small forward, with the rampaging Milne unable to be curbed by the desperate Lions defence.
On the run, on the impossible angle or through heavy traffic, the dynamic Saint couldn’t miss.
He bagged two in the first quarter in trademark fashion, but it wasn’t until the following term that he exploded onto the scene.
Milney took his streak to four straight goals with two majors either side of quarter-time, before another pair in the shadows of the main break catapulted St Kilda to a 59-point advantage.
The super Saint had worked the crowd into a frenzy and as chants of 'Milney' echoed around the ground, the 'Tiprat' thrived off the noise.
Stephen Milne was unstoppable in the final game of the 2005 season.
A terrific mark at ground level and a manic tackle on Michael Voss resulted in another two goals in the third.
And with each goal that sailed over the heads of the dejected Brisbane cheer squad, hope for a mythical 10-goal bag was more clearly in sight.
Goal number nine opened the final term, but it was his tenth which was arguably the most impressive of the lot.
THE BIG HAULS CONTINUE: Plugger sinks Swans with 11 majors
On the most acute of angles, Milne backed himself in – after being prevented from running around on his right boot – from the boundary line with a classy drop punt.
For a small forward to pull in such a mammoth haul was extraordinary, with the performance solidifying the adored Saint as one of the best of his class.
Fittingly, the No. 44 put through the final goal of the game to conclude an astonishing display under the roof of Telstra Dome.
The No. 44 ended his career with Justin Koschitzke and Jason Blake as a legend of the St Kilda Football Club.
Thanks to Milne’s destructive tendencies, the Saints rewrote the history books, with the 139-point victory resulting in the club’s biggest win and its third-highest score.
The lively forward also joined esteemed company of Tony Lockett and Bill Mohr to kick 10+ goals in a game.
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Milne finished the home and away season with 60 majors, before two quieter finals outings against Adelaide and Sydney spelled a heartbreaking end to St Kida’s stellar season.
Across his 275 games, he booted 574 goals to establish himself as one of the best small forwards of all time.
Very few could rival his uncanny ability to get under opposition skin and back it up with mercurial efforts in front of goal.
But none could ever top the excitement he brought to the red, white and black.
ST KILDA 5.4 14.8 20.16 28.18 (186)
STEPHEN MILNE 2.0 6.0 8.0 11.0 (66)
BRISBANE 2.2 5.3 6.5 7.5 (47)
GOALS
St Kilda: Milne 11, Riewoldt 6, Dal Santo 3, Ball 2, Hamill 2, Harvey 2, Peckett, Jones
