St Kilda Saints 2013 Report Card Jack Steven bursts out of the centre square. HOW do you rate the Saints' 2013 season? Wins: 5 Losses: 17 Draws: 0 Ladder position: 16th %: 82.6 THEY got games into the kids. Everyone knows the Saints are in a hard place regarding their list, which still relies heavily on the stars that almost led the team to glory in 2009-10. With veterans Stephen Milne, Jason Blake and Justin Koschitzke now retired and Lenny Hayes to follow in 12 months, there is a crucial rebuilding window of 2-3 years while Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna are still around to find the players to lead St Kilda's next finals challenge. One emerged with a bang this year in Jack Steven. And recruits Dylan Roberton and Tom Hickey (at least in the last few games) showed they can play a role. Most of the rest remain up in the air but of the Saints' nine debutants this season, Tom Lee, Tom Curren, Josh Saunders and Nathan Wright look the most promising. The Round 23 win against Fremantle also has to get a mention - they couldn't have scripted a better send-off for their retiring stars. And it gave loyal fans some hope going into summer. Tom Curren is one of nine St Kilda debutants in 2013. PRE-SEASON the Saints were talking about one last crack at a flag, so to fall from to 16th was clearly not part of the plan. Injuries didn't help, especially to the club's already threadbare tall defensive stocks which were ravaged with Sam Fisher, James Gwilt, Sam Gilbert and Rhys Stanley all going down for lengthy periods. The Saints were competitive most weeks, seriously unlucky in some (watch a replay of the last quarter against West Coast in Round 11) but the wheels seriously fell off a few times, most horribly against North Melbourne when they conceded 16 scoring shots to one in the first quarter. Arryn Siposs gets a mention here after one of the club's most talented young players went backwards this season. And the less said about Mad Monday, the better. HALFWAY through the season Nick Riewoldt had a mortgage on his sixth Trevor Barker Medal but it's now a race in three with midfielders Jack Steven and Leigh Montagna. Steven has jumped into the AFL elite, averaging 27 disposals a game (up from 20 last year) and ranking third in the comp for running bounces. But Montagna might just have the edge - he averaged two more disposals a game and was slightly more consistent. Follow Al Paton on Twitter: @al_superfooty Leigh Montagna celebrates a goal against Gold Coast. ELITE: Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo, Jack Steven BIG IMPROVERS: Dylan Roberton GOING, GOING: Clinton Jones, Jay Lever, Tom Ledger, Ahmed Saad. GONE: Stephen Milne, Jason Blake, Justin Koschitzke TRADE BAIT: Nick Dal Santo A KEY defender. Tried last year to lure Eagle Mitch Brown and couldn't get him. Now likely to target the likes of Bomber Tayte Pears or Tiger Ben Griffiths. A key forward to replace Nick Riewoldt would be handy, too. With the ruck in good hands with Ben McEvoy and Tom Hickey, the priority at the draft table should be midfielders, midfielders and more midfielders to help Steven take the baton from Hayes, Montagna and Co. About 3am - a long wait til the next flag window opens. The club is in full rebuilding mode. More kids will get more games next season and the wins tally will probably be similar to this season. Fans should take enjoyment from watching the next batch of youngsters emerge - these are the guys they hope to be cheering in finals in a few years. It would be nice if Lenny Hayes can get the send-off his mates Milney, Blake and Kosi got last weekend. Tom Lee kicked 17 goals in 10 matches in his debut season. Kicks: Leigh Montagna (395) Handballs: Jack Steven (279) Contested possessions: Jack Steven (239) Marks: Nick Riewoldt (202) Contested marks: Nick Riewoldt (37) Clearances: Jack Steven (118) Inside-50s: Leigh Montagna (95) Rebound-50s: Dylan Roberton (78) Frees for: David Armitage (33) Frees against: David Armitage (34) Goals: Nick Riewoldt (50) Goal assists: Jack Steven (15) Time on ground: Nick Riewoldt (2263min) Players used: 40 Disposals: 359 (12th) Contested possession differential: -2.0 (13th) Tackles: 56.5 (17th) Clearance differential: -2.2 (14th) Inside-50 differential: -5.2 (16th) Scoring % inside 50: 48.6% (equal 12th) Av points for: 79.6 (16th) Av points against: 96.4 (14th) Av winning margin: 46 Av losing margin: 35 DID YOU KNOW? Ben McEvoy won just 36.8 per cent of his ruck contests this season - the second-worst percentage of the top 22 players to be involved in a ruck contest. JUST five wins from a team in transition is the reality for the Saints. The glory days are a memory, a rebuild is in motion and Saints fans need patience. Bad press from Mad Monday incidents doesn't help.