AFL finals remain a somewhat fanciful prospect for St Kilda but coach Alan Richardson can't wait for his side to be tested by premiership contender Sydney.
The Saints outclassed Carlton at the MCG on Sunday, increasing their lead at every break to triumph 19.8 (122) to 7.9 (51).
Despite the 71-point victory it remains unlikely St Kilda will return to finals for the first time since 2011, having lost a veritable eight-point clash with North Melbourne in round 19.
A percentage gap of 16.4 and two wins is currently the difference between eighth-placed North and the ninth-placed Saints.
That means they almost certainly won't change spots unless St Kilda win their next three games and North lose their final three.
The Kangaroos, sweating on a couple of fresh injury concerns, face Hawthorn, Sydney and Greater Western Sydney in a challenging run to September.
If the Saints upset Sydney at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night then things could get interesting, with games against Richmond and Brisbane to follow.
"I said a couple of weeks ago that we'd much rather be in a position where we have control over whether we play finals or not," Richardson said.
"So we've still got a fair bit of work to do.
"We don't make much noise about it (finals hopes) .. just acknowledge that it is there.
"It's pleasing ... to have the opportunity to play (a high-stakes game) against an in-form, physical, aggressive team is great for our group."
Richardson revealed midfielder Luke Dunstan, who hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter against Carlton, is likely to require surgery.
"It's certainly typical of Luke that he does an injury in a tackle, because he leads the way for us with his pressure and physicality," he said.
Nathan Wright, who played through the pain of a back injury, may also be an enforced omission for the clash with Sydney.
"He showed a lot of ticker to hang in there for the group and stay out and give us a bit of run when we were one man down," Richardson said.
Blake Acres' second-quarter tummy tap on Blues ruckman Matthew Kreuzer is likely to be scrutinised by the match review panel.
St Kilda's 10th win of the season wasn't their most meaningful or memorable, with the Blues turning the ball over frequently.
But they did more than enough to deny Carlton forward Andrew Walker a win in his swansong.
"We've had 17 smothers," Richardson said.
"So the want for our guys to continue to get after the Blues, even though things were going our way, we're really pleased with that."
Key forwards Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce booted a combined nine goals, benefiting from the speed at which the Saints moved the Sherrin.
St Kilda midfielders Jack Newnes, Seb Ross, Leigh Montagna and Jade Gresham got plenty of the ball and generally used it well.
