WHEN Farren Ray runs out this week against Gold Coast, he will become the first St Kilda player to wear no. 22 in 100 games.

It is somewhat of an anomaly for a foundation VFL/AFL club that it has taken 116 years to for that kind of individual achievement.

The number has its own quirky history at the Saints, with former key defender Simon O’Donnell wearing it in 24 games in 1982 and 1983 before going on to a successful international cricket career.

The number is also famous for being worn in the 1966 premiership by Kevin Billing, despite Billing never setting foot on the field on the club’s most famous day.

He was the 20^th man and never got the call from Allan Jeans to come on. He was also one of only two St Kilda players not to swap jumpers with a Collingwood opponent at the end of the game.

Ray took on the jumper when he was traded to the Saints at the end of 2008 and has since gone on to make it his own. He spoke to saints.com.au about his connection to the no. 22.

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Farren Ray:
Before I got to the club, the most amount of games anyone had played in the number were 89 (Jack Kelly 1937-44). I’ve played 99 now.

Shane Birss wore it before me and he was a mate of mine at the Bulldogs. I remember thinking it was just a good even number that was available at the time.

Some others available were 17, 28 and 29 and I know this sounds strange but I wanted a double number because I thought having a single digit number made me look too skinny. For some reason I thought 22 fattened me up a bit, plus no one had worn it in a lot of games so I wanted to make it my own number.

It’s not as if I had any great connection though. I wore 17 at juniors because that was the number Jon Dorotich wore at South Fremantle and I looked up to him.

I can’t say I had a favourite number in my junior days as I didn’t play footy until I was 14. All my mates were playing it already so I pretty much had to make do with the numbers that were left.

Now I feel a pretty strong connection with the no. 22 so I couldn’t wear anything else.

I got no. 1 when I was drafted to the Bulldogs. It had been a bit of a cursed number at the club before that because it seemed no one could get any continuity while they were wearing it.

NUMBER 22 OVER TIME