Snapping a nine-year finals drought is reason enough to warrant a big tick when it comes to St Kilda’s 2020 campaign.

But delve into some of the numbers and stats behind the Saints’ rise – in among the competition’s most challenging season – and there’s more reason to tick that box with fervour.

Thanks to St Kilda Senior Analyst Darren O'Shaughnessy, here are some of the most integral statistics which helped put Brett Ratten's men into finals football.

Sharing the love

Many hands make light work, so the old cliché goes.

Up forward, the club’s spread of goalkickers held that statement to account, with a league-high 10 Saints registering 10 goals or more throughout the course of the season.

Of those, four – namely Rowan Marshall, Jack Billings, Josh Battle and Jack Steele – are not permanent forwards.

Dan Butler took out top honours with 29 majors, Max King registered 22 in his first season at the elite level while Tim Membrey bagged 20 to round out the podium finishers.

Ticking the scoreboard over

It’s no coincidence that St Kilda’s surge up the ladder in 2020 went in tandem with its heavily increased scoring rate.

Scoring per minute during the home-and-away season increased by 14% to coincide with the Saints’ attacking style of play, which also saw them place second in the league for average goals per game (10.1).

Incredibly, the red, white and black averaged a goal every 29 touches.

It’s not just a positive from an offensive standpoint, with opposition scoring per minute decreasing by 18% as the club’s young defenders and new inclusions stepped up to the plate.

With all facets combined, the Saints also gained an additional 32 percentage points (116.2) compared to last season’s tally (83.9). 

The Coff's safe hands

It's staggering to think Nick Coffield has just 36 senior games to his name.

But the assuredness the young defender equipped himself with in Season 2020 spoke otherwise, particularly when coming under immense pressure.

The elimination final against the Bulldogs stood out as one of Coffield's best for the year, with four intercept marks in the final term saving the Saints from a heartbreaking defeat.

The 21-year-old was one of just five players – and the youngest – to take 100 marks during the home-and-away season, and also finished the year in the competition's top-10 intercept markers.

Coffield also ranked first for St Kilda's total marks, intercept marks and intercepts, second for effective kicks and third for rebound-50s and effective disposals (equal-third).

Man of Steele

What more is there to say about Jack Steele.

The No. 9’s remarkable season – recently capped off with All-Australian honours and a maiden Trevor Barker Award – stood tall from a St Kilda perspective, but also from a league-wide standpoint.

Steele placed first in the competition for pressure acts (424) and defensive-half pressure acts (198), plus third for tackles (104) to complement his third-placed finish at the Brownlow Medal. 

For the Saints, the No. 9 finished on top of the club's count for total disposals, tackles, clearances, contested possessions, pressure acts, inside-50s and score involvements.

The 24-year-old also charted in the top-five for the AFL Players’ Most Valuable Player Award and the AFL Coaches’ Association Champion Player of the Year.

Ruck ‘n’ roll

The effectiveness of deploying two ruckmen has divided pundits for several seasons now, but the performances of Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall in 2020 might have won a few a more fans over.

The pair were hands-down the most lethal ruck duo in the competition, providing sublime tap work, skill at ground-level and a ready supply forward ammunition to give the Saints a crucial edge.

Ryder and Marshall charted second in the competition for hit-outs to advantage, while their combined ruckwork registered the second-most goals directly from centre bounce.

Their potency up forward was just as critical, with the pair snaring 23 majors between them; the most of any ruck pairing by some margin.

Danger, danger, danger

Dan Butler’s sensational debut season in red, white and black captivated, electrified and most definitely surprised.

Butler registered the most goals from a small forward in 2020 (29) and was the highest-rated pressure player inside forward 50.

Complementing this was the fact that the 24-year-old registered league-high 37 tackles inside-50 and placed second for pressure acts (309) for all forwards in the competition.

The only thing missing is All-Australian selection.