Ruckman Billy Longer admits St Kilda were left “stunned” by a loss to Melbourne which left their AFL finals hopes in tatters.
The Saints had a golden opportunity to book their first top-eight finish since 2011 when they faced the Dees at the MCG on Sunday.
But when the time came to deliver, Alan Richardson’s men were found badly wanting, throwing the game away with an error-riddled first half.
The 24-point loss left the Saints a game and significant percentage below eight-placed West Coast with two rounds remaining.
But while a return to September action looks increasingly unlikely, Longer says there are still positives to take from their season.
“To have a loss like that, I think it stunned the whole group,” Longer told AAP.
“I think everyone in the team this year would have definitely had their eyes set on finals as an end goal.
“But I think the most important thing for us this year was to play a brand of football that we’re really proud of and that we know will stand up in finals.
“As much as perhaps the results haven’t exactly gone the way we’d hoped for, and we’ve let ourselves down definitely in a few weeks, I think in general there’s been a consensus that we’re building strong foundations.
“We’re all learning and maturing into the team that we think will be able to win a flag one day.”
The Saints’ ability to bully opponents around the ball when they’re switched on was plain to see during their 67-point demolition of Richmond in round 16.
But the loss to Melbourne showed that their ball movement and their ability to recover when they turn the ball over remain big areas for improvement.
“A lot of the reason why the turnovers hurt us so much was just because our defending wasn’t good enough,” Longer said.’
“It was a little bit of skill execution but we should be able to defend that anyway, so I think that’s where we most of all let ourselves down.”
Longer’s strong performance against All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn was a rare positive for the Saints.
He faces another big test in the form of North Melbourne ruck duo Todd Goldstein and Braydon Preuss at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Retiring Saints champion Nick Riewoldt will play his final home game ahead of an MCG clash with Richmond next week.
