Throughout the final years of the 1990s, AFL clubs across the land looked backward rather than forward, with selectors, historians and superstars converging to name their Teams of the 20th Century.
So, as we near the quarter-time mark of the 21st century, what better time to run the rule on which players are likely to feature when the selectors of tomorrow get together in several decades' time?
While every club has an array of deadset legends that can be called on, we here at Zero Hanger have employed the following rules of selection:
Next up, we turn to Moorabbin to rank the Saints of the century.
PREVIOUS TOP TENS: CROWS, LIONS, BLUES, PIES, BOMBERS, DOCKERS, CATS, SUNS, GIANTS, HAWKS,DEES, ROOS, POWER, TIGERS
The final spot fell between Sinclair and current captain Jack Steele with the nod going to the former after back-to-back All-Australian campaigns.
Since emerging as a star of the competition, he has become a fan-favourite for the red, white & black and a ball-using machine out of defensive 50.
He is the most reliable player with ball in hand on St Kilda's list and will hopefully continue his run of elite form in 2024.
Ross Lyon's defensive stalwart during St Kilda's grand-final runs in 2009-10, Sam Fisher was close to the best backman in the competition during this period.
Elite in the air while providing quality dash out of defensive 50, Fisher often saved his best for the biggest games, racking up 42 touches and 16 marks in a 2009 qualifying final victory over Collingwood before a further 30 disposals, seven marks and a goal off half-back in the preliminary final victory two weeks later.
Jack Steven was St Kilda's best midfielder during their dark days from 2012-2018, when the club made no finals appearances and squandered many opportunities to improve through the draft and free agency.
It was Jack Steven who brought excitement and energy to the field on game day, running to exhaustion and collecting touches matched up against far superior midfield groups.
He never managed to crack an All-Australian team but four best & fairest says all you need to know about Jack Steven's value to the St Kilda faithful.
Goddard would likely rank higher had he persisted as a one-club player for St Kilda without making the switch to the rival Bombers.
In 10 years with the Saints, few players brought more excitement and bigger moments to the club than Goddard.
No football fan, let alone St Kilda diehard, will ever forget that mark in the 2010 draw to take the lead in the fourth, though some may forget just how dominant he was in that season - averaging 29 disposals, seven marks and a goal per game before nearly single-handedly lifting the Saints to their second ever flag.
One of the most loyal servants among the crop of the 2009-10 grand finalists at St Kilda, 'Joey' Montagna was a crucial part of Ross Lyon's midfield and half-back running stocks during this era.
He also persisted with the club in their troubled times down the bottom of the ladder, lifting a woefully run organisation on the field with multiple seasons of 26+ disposal averages and a healthy Brownlow polling season in 2013.
The next from the 2009-10 golden era, Nick Dal Santo was one of the silkiest ball users in the competition at his peak, with Pendlebury-esque poise, balance and a lethal left foot.
It may shock some to find that he also finished as runner-up to Dane Swan in the 2011 Brownlow Medal (courtesy of a Sam Mitchell suspension) with 28 votes in a season averaging 27 disposals and five tackles.
Surprisingly, none of Dal Santo, Montagna or Goddard ever won a club best & fairest for St Kilda despite their recognition amongst some of the best players of these 2008-2012 years.
One of the most instantly recognisable Saints in the club's history, the man known as 'Milney' sits on a shortlist of the AFL's greatest small forwards ever.
On countless occasions sitting deep inside 50, the number 44 would stun the crowd with a dribble from the pocket or a snap on the run, or provoke opposition players and coaches with some flavoursome words of advice.
Love him or hate him, few would deny the magic of Milne when kicking 11 straight against Brisbane in 2005, or a goal-of-the-century contender on the volley against Port Adelaide in 2010.
The 'G-Train' may go down as the second-to-last ever member of the illustrious AFL 100 club with his 103-goal season in 2004, with only Buddy having achieved the feat since.
Gehrig's career with St Kilda was relatively short-lived, but as fruitful as nearly any other this century, being the club's leading goal-kicker in every year he played forward and wasn't hindered by injuries.
He provided a must-watch product every time he laced up the boots and is still adored to this day by a cult following of fans who will never forget the joy he brought to St Kilda - whether by single-handedly defeating North Melbourne with a bag of nine in 2003 or booting 10 against Richmond in 2006.
Easily one of the most adored Saints in the club's history, Hayes lived and breathed the mantra of toughness and grit in the contest with a level of inspiration that could bring a diehard Saint to tears.
As bittersweet a moment as it was, Hayes was clearly the most fitting candidate to take home the Norm Smith Medal in the 2010 draw, winning the disposal and tackle count on the day and kicking perhaps the longest set-shot goal of his career to give the Saints life in the fourth.
He would never seek the limelight, he never captained for a long period of time but was more than willing to hold the mantle in place of Nick Riewoldt when called upon.
Not only was he the best midfielder on the team during the two grand final runs, he was the beating heart of a club which without him, stood no chance of achieving the grand success, as found when his ACL injury ended his 2011 campaign and the Ross Lyon tenure entirely.
Few players in the history of the game match the level of heart & soul that Lenny Hayes brought to his club for more than 16 years.
Easily the top candidate for the best player in St Kilda's history, 'Roo' was a star from day one but grew into one of the great key forwards and leaders of the AFL era.
If Hayes was the heart & soul, Riewoldt was the driving force behind St Kilda's ladder-leading era.
He was one of, if not the best, centre-half-forwards in the competition for over a decade with his ability to run his opponent into the ground, mark on the lead or in a contest, and kick a bag of goals any given week.
His best season came in 2009 when he booted 78 goals averaging 17 disposals and 10 marks, leading the Saints two kicks short of premiership glory.
Stunningly however, his two best Brownlow polling seasons came 12 years apart, with 19 votes in 2016 and 17 in 2004 - a testament to his consistency and dedication to his craft.
He will be forever celebrated by the St Kilda faithful who pray his legacy lives on in the number 12 jersey with Max King.