WHEN candidates were being interviewed for the St Kilda coaching job it was made clear to them by the club that the position they were to fill was leading a side that could win a flag within three years.

Upon his appointment, Ross Lyon said his immediate aim in taking over a side that had made the preliminary final the two previous years was to reach a "strong finals position to challenge for a premiership" in the first year.

It was perhaps an inflated view of the list, but it was a view shared by many inside — and outside — the club. At the start of this season, the Saints were second favourite behind Geelong for the flag.

Having been without a flag for so long, they found themselves within touching distance and their recruitment policy reflected this. Since Lyon's appointment, the Saints have topped up with Michael Gardiner and Steven King as they chased a leading ruckman, while Shane Birss was added for depth. Sean Dempster and Adam Schneider, who joined the Saints this year, remain young enough that they could yet prove meritorious trades.

The significant issue afflicting the under-performing Saints this year, however, relates more to the recruiting in the earlier years. The Saints' lost years.

St Kilda has had more misses than hits with its best draft picks, basically since Luke Ball arrived at the club.

From the 2002 draft, Brendon Goddard and Leigh Fischer have proven their worth, but more crucially, St Kilda traded pick six to Port Adelaide for Barry Brooks. Port used the pick on Stephen Salopek, who has already played 72 games and appears likely to play at least that number again. Brooks was cut by St Kilda last year after an underwhelming 10 career games.

The same year, the club also traded pick 17 to the Bulldogs for Luke Penny. Penny too is spent, gone from the list.

Raphael Clarke was taken pick eight in 2003 and he has teased as a player but ultimately been a disappointment. However, that was a weak draft and few better players were taken later. Sam Fischer, fortunately, was one of them at pick 55.

The next year Andrew McQualter was the Saints first pick at 17. He was later dropped from the list and rookie-listed by the club. He was recently re-elevated to the senior list but has been a disappointment. Mark McGough, Cain Ackland and James Gwilt made up the remainder of their picks. Only Gwilt remains.

In 2005, the club again traded their first-round pick (17), this time to Adelaide for Fergus Watts. The son of the then club chief executive, he was delisted at the end of last season after playing just six games.

Former premiership player and coach and The Age columnist Robert Walls agreed the list was broadly misjudged and that those years of wasted quality picks had hurt St Kilda.

"I think on the way they play they have fooled us a bit, because I certainly thought they were top-four material," he said.

"David Armitage is one I would look to play every week, because they just haven't introduced enough young players in the last 3½ years. Eight in three years compared to Brisbane's 26."

Former St Kilda captain and Richmond coach Danny Frawley said the Saints had fallen for a similar mistake to the Tigers when he was coach, of misreading the list and believing the group was close to a flag and basing their recruiting accordingly.

"There are a few clubs who have tried to top up and get themselves close … the Tigers being one," he said.

"Essendon have tried to top up and top up, and Fremantle thought they had the window of opportunity there to win one. And I reckon it is worth the punt, but it hurts you long term, not short term, if it doesn't work.

"The reason St Kilda got there (close) was because of all the good drafting with the early picks they had, and then they traded draft picks away to get players, and that hasn't helped their wants and needs.

"It has hurt the club and more importantly is hurting Ross Lyon."

Interestingly, in the bumper draft of 2006, St Kilda took Queenslander David Armitage with its first pick (nine). Armitage is an outstanding player, however he satisfied few of the Saints' needs other than succession planning.

With Lenny Hayes, Luke Ball, Robert Harvey and Nick Dal Santo, the Saints did not need another one-paced player. Their needs were for quick, run and carry midfielders or a key-position type.

St Kilda could be advised to be bold in its recruiting and trading this year and perhaps offer up a player such as Armitage, who would be attractive to other clubs, and seek to claim a draft pick or a young key defender or fast midfielder in his stead.

Equally, it might be smart to hold Armitage for another year and seek to trade the former Queenslander home to the new Gold Coast team. Naturally it would not be so clever to lose him for nothing to the new team as an out-of-contract player.

"Armitage is a jet, but was he the player the club really needed?" Frawley said.

"You have an ageing Max Hudghton and devastating injuries to Matt Maguire, and (Collingwood's) Nathan Brown would shore that up.

"Then you think of Hawthorn with a Cyril Rioli to add some speed around your midfield, and he is going to be an A-grade onballer, and you throw in a rookie like a Sharrod Wellingham and you have a very different-looking list.

"I know it is all very easy in hindsight, but you get these sorts of guys with picks instead of the older guys and the list isn't looking too bad."