Alex Jesaulenko was undisputedly one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

A five-time captain of Carlton, three-time premiership champion, two-time All-Australian and AFL Team of the Century inductee only reaffirm that notion.

His famous mark in the 1970 Grand Final will forever be one of the most iconic moments in VFL/AFL history; the screams of “oh Jesaulenko, you beauty!” from the late Mike Williamson since engrained into football fans across the country, irrespective of any generational gap.

While the Austrian-born legend will always be remembered as a Blue, many forget the famous No. 25 briefly crossed over to the Saints in 1980.

And it was on this day 39 years ago where ‘Jezza’ – now in the red, white and black – came up against his former side at Waverley Park.

It was a contest which struck a chord with many faithful ‘Baggers, with their idol and premiership hero from the past 13 years suddenly in opposition colours.

The removal of Carlton president George Harris following Carlton’s 1979 flag instigated the acrimonious split between the Blues and Jesaulenko, who had served as the club’s face during its significant period of success.

Now in new colours thanks to a deal brokered by St Kilda club president and business magnate, Lindsay Fox, the great Jesaulenko was now the new gemstone of Moorabbin.

“We’re trying to get a new breed of people at St Kilda that had have a tremendously strong desire to win,” Fox said.

Jesaulenko was part of that new breed, and his leadership qualities from both a playing and coaching perspective whet the appetite of the St Kilda board.

After two losses to begin the 1980 Season, Saints coach Mike Patterson was sacked, with Jesaulenko – after playing just the two games for his new club – handed the coaching reins and given the brief of reversing St Kilda’s fortunes.

“There’s no question about it, we can’t afford to lose,” Fox said regarding his zero-tolerance to limited on-field successes.

"I felt it was crazy having last year's premiership coach here as a player and not really giving the true value of what he was worth in the aspect of coaching ability."

The newly appointed player-coach led his side to a draw against Richmond in his first outing in the new role, before chalking up the club’s maiden win of the season against Essendon the following week - on Lindsay Fox's birthday no less.

And with the highly-anticipated clash against his former side looming, Waverley Park was set for an emotional affair.

Some ‘Baggers were still languishing at the loss of their star, while others held resentment and wanted nothing more than to see their side inflict a swift victory against the man who was now in their eyes a turncoat.

The Saints, meanwhile, were keen to showcase their new, prestigious talent after a lengthy drought of success.

But it was ultimately Carlton who had the last laugh, with the Blues booting five goals to one in the second term to storm home by 42 points.

The 34-year-old Jesaulenko was among the best on ground for the Saints that day, finishing with 27 disposals and eight high-flying marks; a trait which became synonymous with his very name.

Jesaulenko played 23 games for the Saints before retiring from playing duties in Round 8 of the 1981 Season – a season which he also served as captain of the club.

He coached out the remainder of the year to put the Saints in 10^th position, before going around again, this time with the club finishing in 11^th.

And while he’ll forever go down in history as a Carlton legend, Jezza still has his own piece of history at Moorabbin.