The fifth-placed Magpies meet the Saints, the only unbeaten side in the competition, at Adelaide Oval on Sunday in the finale of the AFL's inaugural Gather Round.
McRae, like all weeks, has forensically examined the opposition. And a number stuck out: one.
"They (St Kilda) are in great shape," McRae said.
"We went through opposition (analysis) ... and there's a lot of number ones in everything really ... it's a really big challenge for us."
McRae's free-wheeling Pies will be pitted against a Saints outfit which, already, have exhibited the trademark of coach Ross Lyon.
"They're hard to move the ball against," McRare said.
"They're the number one team in terms of scores against so we're going to have to try and score through that.
"Their (defensive) numbers back, the way they transition the ball really well from defensive 50 to forward 50 and their outnumber at the contest is really strong too.
"So there's lots to be worried about."
Lyon's return to St Kilda has been a stunning early-season success.
Despite a lengthy injury list, the veteran mentor is unbeaten in his second coming at St Kilda, who he coached between 2007 and 2011 before moving to Fremantle.
McRae last year, his first at the helm of the Pies, took the club to a preliminary final - a one-point loss to Sydney.
But he dismisses descriptions of Sunday's twilight encounter at a sold-out Adelaide Oval as a battle himself and the wily Lyon.
"I don't think Ross Lyon will get a kick or too many tackles," he said.
"I am not too sure we have to worry about each other.
"But their game style looks like it's pretty strong.
"It's a great thing to have players out but still perform well, it's a credit to the coaching team and the club."
Lyon has largely stuck to his winning formula, though Jack Bytel has been dropped from the starting 22.
And McRae has summoned Jack Ginnivan for his first AFL game this year.
Ginnivan, in February, was suspended for two games by the AFL after admitting illicit drug use during a Collingwood training camp in January.
After serving the ban, the goalsneak played two VFL games.
"It has been a journey for him," McRae said.
Magpie wingman Will Hoskin-Elliott will miss because of illness while Reef McInnes has been axed.
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