In a year where the back six underwent a major renovation, St Kilda veteran Sam Gilbert continued to be Alan Richardson’s reliable lieutenant down back.

The 31-year-old – who is now the oldest player on the Saints’ list – played 18 games in 2017, missing games through hand and groin injuries late in the season.

After building into the year alongside new key defenders Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown, Gilbert produced the strongest patch of his season in the month prior to the mid-season bye, with strong displays against Carlton, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.

A year after winning the Robert Harvey award for best clubman, the Queenslander continued to lead the way through his team-first approach, both on and off the ground.

Gilbert inked a one-year contract extension at the end of August to extend his time at the Saints into a 13th season.

Performance of the year:

Round 10 v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium: 20 disposals, 41.9 pressure points, eight contested possessions, five spoils, four tackles and four inside 50s.

Alan Richardson's views:

“Gilbo is Mr Reliable and Mr Fix it all rolled into one. We know what we’re going to get from him every week and it’s generally a really consistent, strong performance,” Richardson said.

“He also gives us some real flexibility with his versatility. He is a freakish athlete with his speed, endurance and vertical leap, so he adds a lot of value to our team.

“Whilst he’s not in the leadership group, he is an outstanding leader around the club because he cares so much about his teammates.

“He is the first one at the VFL and he gets involved, supports his mates and helps out from a coaching point of view.”

The numbers:

18 games
15.2 disposals
3.6 tackles
3.1 spoils
2.1 rebound 50s