ELI Templeton had casually dropped into conversation with St Kilda player welfare manager Tony Brown that he was an admirer of 1966 premiership captain Darrel Baldock.

Templeton, 19, hails from Burnie on the north coast of Tasmania, just a short drive west from Baldock’s home town of Latrobe.

“I mentioned to Browny that I’d be interested in changing to No.4, but only No.4, because of the link with Darrel Baldock and Tasmania,’’ the livewire small forward said. “But I didn’t really pursue it or anything, I left it to the club.’’

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Templeton, who played six games in 2014 coming off the rookie list, could have been excused for thinking that the Saints would have handed arguably their most famous jumper number to one of their high-profile draftees, Paddy McCartin or Hugh Goddard.

Instead, when Alan Richardson handed out the numbers at Tuesday afternoon’s team meeting, McCartin and Goddard were handed numbers 32 and 33 respectively. Templeton said he “got a bit of a shock’’ when handed a number made famous by some of the greatest footballers in St Kilda history.

media_camera Eli Templeton during a hill running session at Moke Lake in New Zealand. Picture: Colleen Petch

“Baldock, Tony Lockett, (Barry) Breen and Andrew Thompson. There are a few big names who have worn it and worn it with pride,’’ Templeton said.

He only needed to look on his new locker to discover a few more: players like pre-war full-back Bill Cubbins, who won four club best-and-fairests, and Col Williamson, who coached the Saints in the 1950s after his 165-game career.

“Obviously their pretty big shoes to fill, with the greats that have worn it before me, but I don’t feel like there’s any added pressure,’’ Templeton said. “All I am focusing on at the moment is making sure my performance is good enough to warrant getting picked in the seniors.

Templeton has not played since suffering a spiral fracture of his upper arm in the Anzac Day match in Wellington. “It’s been a pretty long lay-off for me, so I’m hanging out for Round 1,’’ he said.

Templeton dropped about five kilograms following surgery, after which there were complications that kept him in hospital for almost two weeks. But he has regained that weight and added some extra muscle, and has impressed with his running and fitness levels during pre-season training.

“I’ve had a chat with the midfield coaches and they’re keen for me to get up the ground, whether it’s a turn through the midfield or up at half forward,’’ he said. “That’s an aim of mine for 2015.’’

St Kilda today announced its full list of 2015 jumper numbers.

ST KILDA’S NEW JUMPER NUMBERS IN 2015:

4 — Eli Templeton

7 — Luke Dunstan

8 — Blake Acres

28 — Tim Membrey

32 — Paddy McCartin

33 — Hugh Goddard

36 — Daniel McKenzie

37 — Jack Lonie

40 — Jack Sinclair

43 — Brenton Payne