Heading that star brigade was the leviathan full-forward Tony Lockett along with the supremely talented Nicky Winmar, dominant centre half-forward Stewart Loewe, tireless Robert Harvey and the gritty Nathan Burke.
It was a team primed to make its mark and progress to the finals after a 17-year absence. When Gilbert McAdam steered through the opening goal in the 1991 Elimination Final, it broke a dam wall of emotion that signalled the end of a long era of heartache and near-extinction.
The Saints were eventually knocked out of the 1991 finals despite Plugger’s nine goals, but a year later, won their first final since 1973 with a gritty defeat of Collingwood.
![Gilbert McAdam 1991 Goal](https://www.saints150.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GilbertMcAdam1991.gif)