Regenerating or rebuilding, call it what you like, but St Kilda are still desperate to win every AFL game they contest.
Saints coach Scott Watters last week noted the need to think about the future after a season-opening loss to Gold Coast followed by a 17-point defeat to Richmond.
Based on Watters’ comments, some pundits suggested the side’s premiership window was shut and that his focus was solely on the future and injecting youth.
The Saints responded in the best way possible on Saturday, comfortably downing Greater Western Sydney by 72 points in Canberra.
It was a victory built on old and new – midfielders Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna were brilliant but Watters also praised debutants Nathan Wright and Tom Lee.
“In this competition, you need to be resilient and you need to bounce back,” Watters said.
“We’ve got a very clear direction as a football club … (players) are expected to compete and we’re here to win games of footy.
“…Young players come in – that’s part of every club’s cycle. We’re no different.
“Perhaps the media have been wanting to write a story about this club being on the decline for some time. Internally, nothing changes.
“We demand a really high standard and we expect our supporters to expect us to compete ferociously.
“Nothing is going to change, regardless of the noise outside the club.”
The Saints focused on contested possession during the week and it showed.
They smashed GWS 139-109 in a key stat the youngsters pride themselves on.
“That was obviously a big focus going in,” Saints defender Sam Fisher said.
“It certainly got better against Richmond last week, but it wasn’t at a level where we were happy.
“Tonight it was a lot better … we take some confidence away from it. But we are nowhere near satisfied where we are at the moment.”
The Saints next tackle undefeated Essendon on Saturday.
“You want to play against good sides in good form and really test yourself … Essendon are a good side and we look forward to that challenge,” Watters said.