At a glance:

  • Brett Ratten says tough love at the selection table will be in order after too many Saints were 'carried' through Saturday's loss to Fremantle.
  • St Kilda kicked seven goals in the opening term before the Dockers staged an incredible comeback.
  • The Saints are also bracing to be without Ben Long after his bump on Sean Darcy.

Brett Ratten says tough love at the selection table will be in order after too many Saints drifted through Saturday’s disappointing capitulation against Fremantle.

The Saints relinquished a six-goal advantage after quarter-time, with the Dockers’ pressure and determination spurring them on towards a tide-turning 11-goal rampage.

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RD 6 | Ratten: 'Too many blokes we carried'

Watch St Kilda's press conference after round six's match against Fremantle

“We just had too many blokes that we carried today,” Ratten said post-match.

“Our wins have been built on everybody contributing and today I thought we just had a few blokes who contributed, and others didn’t really have much influence on the game.

“We’ve brought a full squad up here, so we’ll play players that are in form.

If you’re not in form and your form’s tapering, you might be in a bit of trouble.

- Brett Ratten

Several players’ output dropped significantly after the Saints’ seven-goal blitz, leaving too much on the shoulders of Jack Steele, Tim Membrey and Jack Billings.

“It really went pear-shaped,” Ratten said.

“We showed our best and our worst in one day and in two different quarters.”

“You can look at it and say, ‘did we get ahead of ourselves, did we just take the foot off the pedal?’, but credit to Fremantle, they lifted their intensity…and got the game back on their terms.”

Dream start, horror finish: Saints slip to devastating Dockers

Jack Sinclair, Paddy Ryder, Nicholas Hind and Ryan Byrnes firm as frontrunners for a Round 7 berth, with the latter a clear standout in the club’s past two scratch matches against Richmond and Carlton.

Experienced Saints Nathan Brown, Shane Savage and Jimmy Webster are also waiting in the wings, while Doulton Langlands and Ed Phillips continue to press for a midfield spot.

St Kilda is also preparing for the possibility of being without Ben Long next week after his bump on Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy placed him on report.

Darcy was ruled out of the game with concussion to join Hayden Young (ankle) on the bench.

The Saints will look to make amends against the winless Crows at Adelaide Oval next Monday.