Co-captain Jack Steele says the Saints must demand more from each other following a pair of demoralising losses to open its 2021 campaign.
St Kilda has unsurprisingly come under the blowtorch following uninspiring displays against Melbourne and Essendon, with the latter culminating in a 75-point loss last Saturday night.
“We’re going to hold blokes accountable,” Steele told reporters today.
“There were a few efforts on the weekend that just weren’t good enough and they weren’t the Saints’ way.
Steele has shouldered the side during the past two weeks, collecting 35 touches and seven clearances against the Bombers to back-up his three-goal outing from Round 2.
But the reigning Best & Fairest-winner has dismissed calls for sweeping changes to the line-up, despite key players being out of form.
“I don’t necessarily think that needs to happen. I think we need to be honest with ourselves,” Steele said.
“We’ve had some pretty harsh open and honest conversations in the last couple of days about our previous two performances and the effort we’ve shown.
“We need to be better as a collective.”
Form aside, the month ahead looms as an incredibly challenging run for Steele’s troops.
Matches against top-four sides West Coast, Richmond and Port Adelaide – on the Power’s home deck – are next up on the agenda, with the Saints determined to get their season back on track.
“You can easily look at those games and be scared of what’s to come, but as we’ve already seen so far this season, there’s (been) so many upsets,” Steele said.
“They’re great teams that we’re coming up against, but (these games are) also real opportunities for us."
