“Same old Saints”, the headline read.

In the wake of the Saints’ dismal Round 6 defeat to Fremantle, the blowtorch – both internally and externally – turned squarely on Brett Ratten’s men.

Another third-quarter fade-out, another loss that should never have eventuated.

Rightly or wrongly, the Saints’ inability to put the Dockers away opened the floodgates.

Persistent in-game lapses, a lack of on-field leadership, and the one that stung most: “Same old Saints”.

But as painful as that loss was to bear, it became the catalyst for a proactive and positive change of mindset for the young Saints.

In losses to North Melbourne, Collingwood and Fremantle, albeit vastly different, the pattern had been the same: when on-field leadership fails, so does the team.

Head of Football Program David Rath identified the gap and implemented, for the first time, player-led reviews.

The long-term play was clear: develop voices of leadership off the field, to bolster their leadership on it.

“That’s fundamental to what we’re doing, and we need to develop a group of players who are comfortable with seeing something and saying something,” Rath said.

“In games of footy where things happen really quickly and there’s an urgency, if we’re not comfortable in giving and receiving feedback we go back into our shells and we get insular.

“If we give them the opportunity to take ownership when they’re watching vision, they’ll own that a little bit more and we’ve been promoting that on-field.”

The Saints are blessed with a raft of natural-born leaders within their younger ranks.

Nick Coffield, Jack Bytel and Ryan Byrnes all captained their under-18 sides.

Callum Wilkie’s former life as an accountant means he can analyse the game and articulate his ideas as well as anyone.

Then there’s Dougal Howard, the heart-on-sleeve country lad who captained Port Adelaide at just 23 years of age and isn’t afraid to speak up.

Increasingly, members of the younger Saints brigade are being handed the Conch, and Rath insists the rewards will come.

“We can’t just rely on one person. The old model of just the captain or coach at the helm of the ship and being the only one who speaks is no longer recognised as the best way to do things,” Rath said.

“We need to have connection across all lines, and we want to promote our young kids to be able to connect with our senior players so they can fast-track their development.”

And the increased focus on adapting under duress and steadying the ship in the furnace of the contest have already reaped rewards.

When spirited opposition surges from Port Adelaide, Sydney and Gold Coast threatened to unravel hopes of a victory, several Saints stood up in precisely the way Rath is nurturing.

“We’re trying to create an environment where everyone can speak,” he said.

“The players’ perspective is really important; they’re the ones out there playing it and they see it and feel it.

“We only watch from the outside, so having them speak is really important.”

And the proof is in the pudding.

St Kilda hasn’t lost consecutive matches this season, responding to defeats with stirring performances to inch them closer towards a drought-breaking finals berth.

Now, off the back of a narrow two-point loss to top four side Brisbane, a challenge against Melbourne in Alice Springs awaits.

In a year shrouded in uncertainty, one thing’s for sure.

We’ll know by October whether they really are the “same old Saints”.