During a chaotic trade period at the end of the 2013 season, St Kilda acquired Shane Savage from Hawthorn in a deal that Saints Chief Operating Officer Ameet Bains says has been highly beneficial for both teams.

Savage landed at Linen House Centre along with pick No. 18, which was used to secure Luke Dunstan, in exchange for ruckman Ben McEvoy who has gone on to enjoy the ultimate success at the Hawks.

An additional swap of picks saw pick No. 19 (Lance Franklin compensation pick) come to the Saints; used on Blake Acres in exchange for picks No. 59 (rookie elevation) and No. 24 (Billy Hartung).

“It’s a trade that’s clearly been beneficial for both teams. We were obviously able to recruit Luke Dunstan and Blake Acres as well as have Shane Savage in our team during that period. But at the same time, Ben McEvoy’s a dual premiership player at Hawthorn so it’s been a great deal for both clubs,” Bains told saints.com.au on Friday ahead of Savage’s 100th AFL game against Fremantle on Saturday.

With Savage now a crucial component of St Kilda’s defensive structure, it’s hard to recall him struggling to make an impact at half-forward and on a wing during his first season at the Saints.

But that was the case, before Alan Richardson and the coaching staff chose to deploy him across half-back and utilise his penetrating right-foot as an ball movement architect in the defensive third.

“It was a coaching move that was born out of wanting to get more value out of him given how he was travelling playing up forward and on the wing. But also to improve our disposal coming out of the backline,” Bains said.

Bains, who oversaw the recruitment of Savage in 2013 as part of his involvement in the club’s list management, lauded the development of the 24-year-old during his time at the Saints.

“During his time here he’s obviously developed into a running half-back and he’s been important for the team in terms of setting up our ball use and our rebound off half-back,” Bains said.

“He’s become an integral part of the defence and of the team, having only missed two games since the start of 2015.”