Which is why there will be more than a little sadness on Saturday when the oval in the heart of St Kilda plays host to the indigenous game for the very last time.

Amateur club Old Melburnians have had their home ground there since the early 1990s, winning four premierships along the way.

But the club has had to move its last two home games this season, and find a new home for next, as cricket prepares to move in on a full-time basis.

The Junction will become the home of Victorian cricket in a $40 million revamp on which work will begin soon. The redesign, to provide a full-time training venue and alternative first-class ground, involves a smaller configuration unsuitable for the winter game.

Which makes Old Melburnians' game against Caulfield Grammarians on Saturday a sentimental occasion indeed.

"We've long considered ourselves very fortunate to have played there, and the teams that have come there to play us feel pretty privileged too," says Old Melburnians secretary Paul Mishura.

"It's just a really great shame that it's going to be lost to footy forever. And I suppose the one thing that really mystified people is that, in reality, it's going to sit dormant for most of the footy season, because you can't really imagine cricket being played there in the winter months."

The club is still on the lookout for a new ground for 2016. It knows it won't find one with the history and pedigree of the Junction.

The historic venue was first used by St Kilda Football Club in the pre-VFL era of 1873, was the Saints' base for the 1897 beginning of the VFL, and remained so until 1965, when the club left for Moorabbin.

It then became home to Fitzroy from 1970-84, the scene of many triumphs as the Lions enjoyed some success under the coaching of Bill Stephen then Robert Walls during the late ​1970s and early 1980s.

Brownlow medallist Bernie Quinlan kicked his 100th goal of the season on the ground in both the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Other spearheads also topped the ton there, Collingwood's Peter McKenna in 1971, and Essendon's Geoff Blethyn the following year.

Indeed, goalkicking feats are a recurring part of the Junction's history, Melbourne's Fred Fanning breaking the record for most goals in a game with 18 against St Kilda in 1947, a record which still stands some 68 years later.

While the lack of grandstands, apart from the quaint wooden Blackie-Ironmonger Stand, didn't conform to the standards required by a modern AFL venue, the Junction's playing surface was routinely described by players as the best in the competition.

And it was a venue which played host to some pivotal football moments.

Here's a selection of the best ...

FRED FANNING KICKS 18 GOALS 

The Junction played host to league football's highest-ever individual goal tally, one which still stands today. Melbourne full-forward Fred Fanning single-handedly tore St Kilda to shreds in the final game of 1947, booting an amazing 18.1 as the Demons raced to a 93-point win. Fanning finished the year with 97 goals, winning the VFL goalkicking. But his amazing performance would also be his last game, at 25 heading to Hamilton to coach for three times his salary with Melbourne. 

Fred Fanning.

1944 GRAND FINAL: FITZROY v RICHMOND 

With the MCG occupied by the armed services during World War II, the Junction was used for the 1944 premiership play-off. A game played in stifling heat with a blustery north wind was a low-scoring scrap. Richmond had Jack Dyer coming off nine goals in the preliminary final, but he was held to one this day. Fitzroy captain-coach Fred Hughson starred, and a late goal to Ken Sier clinched victory by 15 points. It would be Fitzroy's last premiership.

FITZROY SMASHES NORTH MELBOURNE 

North Melbourne was on top of the ladder and had won six games straight, two by more than 100 points, when they met Fitzroy at the Junction in round 13 of 1983. But now it was the Roos' turn to feel the pain. The Lions, coached by Robert Walls, were also having a good season and pulled one out of the box this day to win by a whopping 150 points, booting 21 goals in the second half alone. Matt Rendell kicked eight goals for the Lions and Mick Conlan seven. 

CARL DITTERICH'S FIRST GAME 

St Kilda's first game of 1963 at their Junction Oval home would see one of league football's most storied debuts. The Saints selected a 17-year-old gangly blond-haired ruckman from East Brighton called Carl Ditterich to play against Melbourne. He was an instant star, his mobile athleticism proving too much for the Demons. Ditterich was a clear best on ground in St Kilda's 18-point win. He'd go on to play 285 games for the Saints and Melbourne over the next 18 seasons. 

Carl Ditterich flies for a mark.

1976 VFA GRAND FINAL 

The VFA was at the height of its popularity in the mid-1970s as a Sunday competition, and in 1976, more than 32,317 people turned out for the grand final between two old enemies in Port Melbourne and Dandenong. They saw an explosive game, the KO of Port full-forward Fred Cook by Dandenong's Alan Harper triggering ongoing brawls in which seven players, Dandy's runner and a Port trainer were all reported. Port won the fights, and the game, by 57 points.