ST KILDA recruit Billy Longer has been handed one of the club's most important numbers - No.18, made famous by Brendon Goddard and Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale.
Longer, who played nine games in No.5 at the Brisbane Lions, has been earmarked as a key addition to the Saints' big man stocks, after the departure of Ben McEvoy to Hawthorn.
Meanwhile, the club's first round draft pick, Jack Billings, has been handed No.15.
That jumper has a strong history at St Kilda, with 1966 premiership players Ian Cooper and Jeffrey Moran both playing 100 games in the number.
Ex-Hawk Shane Savage will wear the No.5 guernsey.
Austinn Jones played 204 matches from 1995-2005 in the number that was made most famous by triple Brownlow medallist Ian Stewart.
Savage wore No.21 at Hawthorn.
Key defender Luke Delaney will wear No.21, while Jason Blake’s retirement opens the door for Josh Bruce to claim 27.
The Saints’ second draft pick Luke Dunstan will wear No.36 and Blake Acres will wear No.40.
Tom Curren, Spencer White and Maverick Weller have each replaced household St Kilda names wearing numbers 26, 23 and 44 following the retirements of Justin Koschitzke and Stephen Milne in addition to the departure of Nick Dal Santo.
New numbers
5. Shane Savage
15. Jack Billings
18. Billy Longer
21. Luke Delaney
23. Spencer White
26. Tom Curren
27. Josh Bruce
36. Luke Dunstan
40. Blake Acres
43. Eli Templeton (rookie)
44. Maverick Weller (rookie)
45 Jason Holmes (international rookie)
46 Joe Baker-Thomas (international scholarship)
