St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was at his philosophical best as the Saints edged closer to playing finals with a 33-point win over Geelong at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, and said he was hopeful Seb Ross had suffered only a three-week hamstring injury.

"It's hard to put into words, post-game. Simply, we're not (yet) a lock for finals, the Adelaide result – it's ironic, isn't it, the padding at the back of the post – but that's just life, isn't it. We're not a lock, which it looked like at some point," Lyon said.

"What I'm pleased about is our method and style of play, I thought we were aggressive, we were bold. Obviously accuracy – which has been a bit of a strength – was a bit of a letdown tonight and kept Geelong in the game.

"I feel like we've taken a step forward with our football, it's good for our fans and members to see that. It was nice to see some senior players back, like Tim (Membrey) and Max (King). And Jack Steele, who was mostly on (Patrick) Dangerfield tonight, he was running freely and feeling good about himself. (Zaine) Cordy has been able to step up in the absence of Dougal Howard."

Lyon said no extra focus was put on the game despite the importance in the race for the top eight.

"It was a high-stakes game. Can you try any harder, week-on-week? We try and prepare every week like it's a final to be honest, otherwise you never get to them," Lyon said.

"There was no change in routine, there was no extra meetings, no extra training sessions, we just did what we do. Focused on continuous improvement, break down the opposition – my line coaches (Lenny) Hayes, (Corey) Enright and (Robert) Harvey were outstanding, and our opposition coach Sam Mooney – but guess what, we'll breathe out tonight and then we'll watch Brisbane. 

"They're red-hot, the equivalent of the best team in the comp, and we have to go up there and win to secure a finals spot. The challenges just keep coming at AFL level."