SAINTS forward Josh Bruce has a growing appetite for pressure.

When he smelt a turnover in the second quarter on Sunday he rushed Essendon defender James Gwilt.

The 23-year-old left-footed forward was manic, intercepting the ball before chasing Gwilt and forcing him to handball with abandon to Michael Hurley.

Bruce then turned his attention to Hurley like he was channelling Australia's NBA finals sensation, point guard Matthew Dellavedova, and pressured the suddenly hurried and harried defender.

By this time, Bruce's teammate Jack Newnes had joined in, pressuring Gwilt's short kick so it landed in Bruce's arms. Somehow, he mustered the energy to kick a long goal.

Become a member today! Call 1300 GO SAINTS or visit HERE.

"We'll review the game tomorrow and I reckon Josh will get a pat on the back for that," Saints director of coaching Danny Sexton told AFL.com.au on Sunday.

"He was outnumbered by Essendon and put three or four efforts in a row, made something out of nothing and then got rewarded."

The goal won't be the reason Bruce gets the pat on the back.

At the Saints – like all clubs – players are rewarded internally for effort, clips are shown and respect is earned.

Look closely at the lead up to Bruce's goal and it's skipper Nick Riewoldt beginning the chain by harassing Michael Hibberd and forcing him to search long and wide for Gwilt.

On the other side of the coin at St Kilda, in moments where the pressure is less than what is expected, players are reminded to acknowledge the fact, then pick themselves up and go again.

"The coaches are selling a really strong message and the players are buying into it," Sexton said.

The numbers back that statement up.

In Richardson's first year as coach, the Saints were at the bottom of the table for many statistical measures including time in possession (eighth in 2015), disposals differentials (ninth), points from intercepts differential (seventh) and scores per 50 against (12th) and points conceded (14th).

The most important change, however, has come in the pressure the Saints put on the opposition whenever they have the chance to do so, either through tackling or implied pressure by harassing, chasing and corralling.

The Saints have gone from worst in the competition in 2014 to fifth-best this year.

That speaks of a team playing with spirit and connection, a feature of the Saints since they came back from New Zealand nine games ago and something they have built gradually since Richardson arrived as coach.

In the past three weeks, they have averaging 15 tackles inside 50 a game and, perhaps as a result, the ball has spent 58 per cent of the time in the Saints' forward half.

Bruce and Riewoldt lead the way for teammates in the forward line, with the former's frenzied approach infectious.

He has made 14 forward 50 tackles this season, placing him 37th in the AFL.

Funnily enough, his goals come from marks but it is the tackling that sets him up.

In 14 rounds, the club has gone from 15th to first in the AFL at turning intercepts in the attacking part of the midfield into scores.

They don't muck around when they get the ball after a turnover, keeping opposition defenders disorganised.

Even when they were 104 points up against the Bombers, Richardson had a message for Shane Savage when the 24-year-old streamed off half-back before deciding to kick the ball wide to Sam Gilbert.

"I want him to go forward," Richardson told the runner.

Richardson's words were emblematic of the positive messages emanating from the Saints all season.

They want to go forward and they are, in a manner few predicted when the year began.

In the past three games they have gained at least 350 metres more than their opposition each game, and recorded an astonishing 2052 more metres gained than Essendon on Sunday. 

Pressure is not easy to put on, particularly if it continually goes unrewarded, but rarely does such persistence fail.

The Saints have won five from 13 and sit 13th on the ladder, and Sexton knows they are still a way off the best sides.

He doesn't mention it, but their ranking in centre clearances is nowhere near the best, to use just one isolated example of an area that needs improvement.

Only four teams have conceded more points than the Saints.

But the trend is positive and effort is in keeping with their mantra to show heart, smarts and guts.

"Whilst we're happy with our young group there is a lot of work that needs to be done and we can't have any complacency creep in at all," Sexton said.

"We've still got heaps of work to do. There is a little bit of daylight between where we are now and where we want to get to."