The holes in every club’s list ahead of the AFL Draft

As much as it pained me to state last month, St Kilda's major roster deficiency is larger than almost every other side floating around the precipice of finals football.

While outstanding outputs across the past pair of seasons have eliminated any doubt surrounding co-captain Jack Steele's quality, consistent help at the coal face has often evaded him.

After a 2021 campaign that saw the former Giant claim his second successive pair of All-Australian blazers and club best and fairests, the gulf between Steele and his fellow Saints in the middle of the ground only continued to widen.

Although upwards of 10 other names that share a lockerroom with Steele stood alongside him at centre bounces this year, the Canberran's tallies of 642 disposals and 185 tackles saw him finish ahead of any of his haloed contemporaries by margins of 113 and 76 respectively.

Put simply, this is far too big of a gap between the club's face and his chasing class.

Despite previously writing that names such as Billings, Clark, and Hill needed to pull their hooped socks up next season, each and every one of the names that also ran through the midfield could benefit from hopping in Steele's slipstream.

Sure, reaching their skipper's heights could well prove too tough of an ask, but if there is a belief that anyone was operating at their full capacity in 2021, then some of the negative appraisals surrounding the Saints could well hold water.

A happy return by Jade Gresham, a fair run with injuries, and a 'hit' with their opening draft selection should help the lads from Linton Street press for a place in the eight.

However, if these boxes are unable to be ticked, St Kilda's 2020 campaign is likely to be seen as the outlier.

A continued rise from young midfield options in Ryan Byrnes, Jack Bytel, and Leo Connolly will also aid a competitive drive for places between the arcs, but while views relating to a complete lack of options may be off the mark, questions surrounding their quality should still be asked.

Given the midfield movements at Moorabbin have come at the rate of knots across the past two off-seasons, it was always going to take time for players to settle and positions to be firmed.

But given a return to September has already been achieved by the vast majority of this current group, excuses about player availability, the challenge of their schedule, or anything else as feeble just won't cut the mustard anymore.

Having culled and collated his preferred list since taking on the top job in Round 18, 2019, Brett Ratten is sure to hold the belief that he has the materials on hand to repair his engine room problems.

And although many members of the media are in disagreement with him at the present, one set of assured parties will be proven correct by the end of St Kilda's 149th season.