Through everything the club has endured, however, two constants have threaded through the years: the Saints could always pull off surprise wins, and they always possessed a superstar who could shine on even the darkest of afternoons.
Trevor Barker, Tony Lockett, Danny Frawley and Nicky Winmar were the latter-day versions of a line that stretched back to Dave McNamara and Billy Mohr, instilling hope at a time when it otherwise seemed lost.
Even when starved of team success, the faithful had their unmistakable cult heroes who kept them coming through the turnstiles.
On a sunny April day at Moorabbin in 1967, the long-awaited flag was proudly unveiled to the delight of the Saints faithful.
Wins in the first two games were a good start, but the path became rocky after that following stalwart ruckman Alan Morrow’s retirement, a pre-season injury to Brownlow medallist Ian Stewart and then the shock illness which sidelined Grand final star Ian Cooper.
The Saints remained formidable with Carl Ditterich in career best-form, seeing the team return to finals action in 1968. Sadly, it also marked the close of Darrel Baldock’s stellar career, bring an end to the famed Baldock-Stewart combo.
Stewart eventually departed to Richmond in 1971, marking the start of ‘big-name’ trades as the football landscape began to rapidly change.
The 1970s were an undeniably groovy era, and the Saints found their footballing mojo with four consecutive years of September action from 1970.
St Kilda came agonisingly close to breaking through in the 1971 Grand Final over Hawthorn, but had victory slip away after conceding a 20-point lead at three-quarter time.
After 1973, it would take another 28 years for the club to make it back to finals football, signalling one of the most victory-starved, albeit fondly remembered, periods of Saints history.
Fashion of the time consisted of big collars, criminally tight-fitting pants and luscious hairdos, both on and off the field.
The Saints opened a ritzy social club which would have its own distinctive traits in future years. The Social Club prospered early, but later would become bogged down in disputes with the football club which drained time and resources.
Despite the dwindling success as St Kilda’s perception as glamour boys grew, the era wasn’t devoid of both controversy and magic moments among the arid years.
The idolised Saint with blonde locks, Hollywood looks and a penchant for spectacular marks was one of St Kilda’s favourite sons, not just for the brilliance of his football, but also for the way in which he stuck with the club through thick and thin.
After 230 games and just 60 wins amid one of the club’s most desolate eras, he never played in a final. Despite being thrown many lucrative offers to join rival clubs through his time, Barker’s loyalty never wavered.
He was one of, if not the most, devoted player to ever represent the Crest; the physical embodiment of Strength Through Loyalty.
Barker’s signature action was the superb leap over a pack that held no fear of the fall to earth that followed, which captured both the hearts of Saints fans and the shutters of photographers. It is often forgotten that he was also an outstanding tackler and excelled in that part of the game.
Former St Kilda coach and Blues legend Alex Jesaulenko once said that Barker would be the only Saints player that he had coached who would have earned a place in the great Carlton teams of the time.
In a struggling side he was often called upon to fill the roles of far bigger players, but his natural gifts would have made him an even greater half-back flanker if he had been allowed to stay in that position rather than constantly plug holes elsewhere.
While St Kilda had times when it didn’t win often, he reckoned it also won matches it probably shouldn’t have.
After coaching his beloved Sandringham to Premiership success in the VFA post-retirement, Barker was on track to take over as the next coach of the red, white and black, before his heart-wrenching passing from colon cancer, aged 39.
Although his footy resume doesn’t boast as many accolades as other greats of the game, his impact and everlasting mark on St Kilda remains unrivalled.
St Kilda gathered strength in 1978 and under new coach Mike Patterson had a barnstorming start, spearheaded by a ruck set-up featuring the combative Carl Ditterich and Jeff Sarau and the talented West Australian Garry Sidebottom.
After a famous, bruising game against Essendon, the Bombers’ president labelled the Saints as “animals… nothing short of it”. Three Saints were reported in the physical encounter at Moorabbin, which saw Bombers Merv Neagle and Terry Cahill taken to hospital with concussion
The team gathered momentum late in the year, beating eventual Grand Finalists North and Hawthorn, but narrowly missed a finals berth.
In Round 1 1979, the eventual wooden spooner Saints knocked off the reigning premiers, Hawthorn.
But debts were mounting and signs about a long-term future – coupled with poor on-field results – were ominous. Trucking magnate Lindsay Fox took over the presidency and in 1984 initiated a controversial scheme of arrangement to help pull the club away from financial catastrophe.
It was hard for players and coaches to accept, but there is no doubt the plan ultimately saved the club.
Five wooden spoons within six years (1983-1986, 1988) and a revolving door of coaches failed to produce a significant turnaround, seeing the Saints remain in the bottom-three for eight consecutive years.
St Kilda set the notorious record for the most points scored against in a season (3052) in 1982, and in 1985 had three consecutive 100-point losses to open the season.
Moorabbin’s reputation as a fortress was even under threat in 1985. Only a last-minute goal by Gary Odgers was enough to seal a shock win over the third-placed Footscray and avoid completing the only winless season at the Saints’ spiritual home.
Barry Breen became the first Saint to play 300 games, countless cult heroes graced the turf, while Jeff Fehring’s 86-metre goal at Moorabbin in 1981 was pure gold.
Fehring launched the unfathomable monster from beyond the centre circle in a burst of anger after being reported. It is still remembered as one of the most marvellous pieces of magic to come from the hallowed turf.
But it wasn’t the poor on-field performances, substantial defeats, increasing collection of wooden spoons, rapidly increasing debt or even the risk of folding that defined the club in the eyes of the St Kilda faithful. Instead, it was the Saints greats who cut through the seemingly endless darkness.
As was his style, Fox pushed the envelope on numerous fronts, even taking the VFL to court in seeking a clearance from Sydney for Silvio Foschini in 1983.
The next day after winning the case, St Kilda played another Swan, Paul Morwood, without a clearance as Fox declared that the “rules were now out the window”. The decision resulted in laws being re-written and the introduction of the draft.
With all the attention on Morwood and Foschini’s debuts, very few failed to take in one 17-year-old Tony Lockett registering his first game on the same day.
The player of his generation, the big full-forward from North Ballarat with vice-like hands was a deadly kick for goal, and when coupled with his pace off the mark and body strength, made him an unstoppable force.
‘Plugger’ became the greatest goalkicker in the sport’s history (1360 goals) and was dubbed “the Bradman of our game” by his great mate, Danny Frawley.
His story will forever live on in the hearts of the Saints faithful.
His deceptive mobility was exceptional for someone of his huge physique, and allied with his innate goal-sense, were attributes that set him apart from the rest.
The sight of ‘Plugger’ on the lead was one that brought joy to a privileged generation of fans, even amid a victory-starved era. For Saints, it was a dream to see him. For opposition defenders, an absolute nightmare.
In no uncertain terms, Lockett wasn’t one to trifle with.
Lockett eventually overtook Bill Mohr as the club’s all-time leading goalkicker, registering 898 majors for the red, white and black. He had three 100-goal seasons while at Moorabbin.
With Lockett up one end and Frawley up the other, St Kilda’s line-up for the next decade was one that would consistently bring fans through the turnstiles.
A footballing colossus, Lockett crossed to Sydney at the end of 1994 and eventually became the competition’s highest ever goalkicker with 1360 in 281 games.
Taking on the coaching role at the start of 1987, Baldock steered the Saints to five-straight wins to open the seasons, led by Lockett and brilliant West Australian recruit Nicky Winmar forming a potent path to goal.
On the day that Lockett achieved his first century of goals, the team was a mathematical chance to reach finals, but in the end fell short. Despite suffering a stroke late in 1987, Baldock remained in the head coach role for the next two years.
The late 1980s were a time when club mergers were discussed in detail and the Saints’ financial situation meant that the club often figured in the speculation.
A meeting of club officials, sponsors and coteries rejected the suggestion that St Kilda actively pursue a merger, before a spirited plea by long-term backer Ron Williams convinced anyone sitting on the fence.
St Kilda had survived its darkest era. The Saints would remain as a proud, standalone entity.
