2020 went about as well as the Saints could have hoped for. Not many had them pegged for finals and even fewer had them pegged for a finals win.
Brett Ratten built an army of small forwards and led them terrifically, they managed to format a game plan that suits their list really well and made them a very dangerous team in attack.
A very, very good year considering the expectations.
Ins
Brad Crouch (Adelaide), Shaun McKernan (Essendon), Jack Higgins (Richmond), Paul Hunter (SSP), Matthew-McLeod-Allison (Draft), Tom Highmore (Draft), James Frawley (Hawthorn).
Outs
Nathan Brown (Retired), Doulton Langlands (Delisted), Ryan Abbott (Delisted), Jack Bell (Delisted), Jack Mayo (Delisted), Logan Austin (Delisted), Matt Parker (Delisted), Nick Hind (Essendon).
Off-season Grade: B+
The Saints again turned their focus to ready-made players in the exchange period and got good players too. They maybe didn't get the outside midfielder they were after but Brad Crouch is a good addition nonetheless.
Jack Higgins and James Frawley are both in Ratten's best 22, while Shaun McKernan will provide depth with Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall both set to miss Round 1.
The Saints are seen as the most likely team to crack the top four this year, but there are questions around whether they are able to match the top teams on the regular basis to make that leap.
They will get that answer very early, rounds 4-6 to be specific. They take on the Eagles and Richmond at Marvel Stadium which is a massive plus before they head over to South Australia to face Port Adelaide - who they beat over there last year.
Their record coming out of this block will be crucial to them leapfrogging a team in the top 4.
B: Callum Wilkie, Dougal Howard, James Frawley
HB: Nick Coffield, Jake Carlisle, Ben Long
C: Bradley Hill, Brad Crouch, Jack Billings
HF: Jack Higgins, Tim Membrey, Jade Gresham
F: Dan Butler, Max King, Jarryn Geary
FOLL: Rowan Marshall, Zak Jones, Jack Steele
I/C: Josh Battle, Paddy Ryder, Hunter Clark, Seb Ross
There's no doubt the Saints' strength lies in their speedy small forwards, they kill teams out the back and are as dangerous as any team (maybe bar Richmond) when the ball hits the ground.
Their weakness maybe comes from their lack of defensively minded midfielders. Jack Steele is perhaps their most defensive on-baller but he still commits to attack heavily when the Saints have the ball.
They can get hurt on turnover with a midfield so keen to get involved, Brad Crouch isn't exactly going to help that either. They'll have to find a balance to make the leap to top 4.
7th
It's hard to judge what is a pass for the Saints after they shocked the footy world last year. They will make the 8 again but they aren't ready to crack the top 4. They haven't fixed the areas they needed yet and this will separate them from the competition's elite.