St Kilda are good enough - now it's a question of being consistent enough.
Their first-half demolition of Richmond on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium will go down as one of the performances of this AFL season.
The Saints kicked 9.5 to 0.1 in the second term and late in the third term led by 95 points.
While Richmond reduced the final margin to 67 points, St Kilda's early domination was outstanding.
"We can be a danger to any team if we play that sort of footy," said coach Alan Richardson.
"What we do know is it's a bloody tough competition, it's one game and we need to make sure we stay hungry."
Saturday's win meant they climbed from eighth to fifth and depending on Sunday results, they will be no worse than seventh.
Richardson is confident his players will not let such a big win go to their heads.
He noted there was plenty of media attention on the Saints last week after their big win over Fremantle in Perth and the promotions for the Richmond game, which was a fundraiser for the Maddie's Vision charity.
"It's been a good week for the playing group, with respect to maturity," Richardson said.
It was a big night for Saints veteran Nick Riewoldt - his younger sister Maddie died of a rare bone disorder two years ago and he is involved heavily in the Maddie's Vision charity.
He also starred with 12 marks, taking him to a career total of 2913.
That unofficially gives him the all-time record, although Gary Dempsey's 2906 apparently is missing one game.
Next Friday night the Saints play Essendon, who recovered from a couple of tough losses to beat Collingwood.
"Their best footy has been outstanding this year," Richardson said of Essendon.
"We know they're going to be a really hard team to beat.
"But we think if we can play that sort of footy ... if we can repeat that, and that's our want, then we're going to be competitive against any team."
Ruckman Billy Longer had a corked thigh early, but returned and was one of the Saints' best.
Forward Tim Membrey will come under video review for his heavy bump on Dylan Grimes.
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