When Tim Membrey missed an unmissable goal from the Launceston goal square, a nadir had been reached as the Saints score sat at 0.7. Membrey's poster meant they had kicked 29.60 since suddenly breaking bad on Good Friday against North Melbourne. The drop-off has been so rapid they have been forced to insert extra kicking sessions into their training program to rebuild their belief in a skill that had not troubled them before the yips began. The numbers tell a tale of wasted opportunity that has left expectant fans disillusioned. This year the Saints have managed a goal every 43.8 disposals compared to 32.30 disposals per goal in 2017.

The benchmark, Richmond, is tracking at 24.07 disposals per goal in 2018. Every time they get within reach of the opposition they concede unanswered goals. Each time they dominate play they kick behind after behind. Emerging forward Jack Billings has been the poster boy for this waywardness, kicking eight straight behinds between rounds one and five after kicking two goals in the first quarter against the Brisbane Lions. St Kilda's Jack Billings. Credit:AAP Billings has now kicked 4.11 in 2018, his inaccuracy keeping him out of the conversation as an elite player.

Assistant coach Adam Kingsley, who is rated as highly as any assistant in the game, says work is being done to redress the issues. "We're going through a rough patch at the moment but we're working our way out of it," Kingsley told Fairfax Media. "We'll look back on this period and think it taught us a few lessons and it shaped us into the team that we want to become and we will become later on." That's the hope because the question everyone is asking is what team will they become, having won just three of the 14 games they have played since thrashing Richmond in round 16, a victory that looks more like Ian Baker-Finch's British Open win at this stage than a Jordan Spieth-type graduation towards majors glory. That night, and the form preceding it, is a reminder that the Saints' list is much better than their recent performances suggest, even allowing for the departure of club greats Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna.

"We feel like we have enough quality. We could always do with more as could every team but we are comfortable with where our list is at and have enormous confidence in the ability of our players to perform and to develop," Kingsley said. Seb Ross polled three Brownlow votes against Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield in 2016 and the Tigers' Dustin Martin in 2017 on his way to winning a club best and fairest. Meanwhile Jack Steven, Jake Carlisle, Jade Gresham, Luke Dunstan, Jack Billings, Blake Acres and Paddy McCartin are all capable of being very good players although the decision to choose McCartin – who has now strung six consecutive AFL games together for the first time in his career – over Melbourne's Christian Petracca remains a subject worth debating. Their two top picks in the 2017 national draft, Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield, look solid and Ben Long has been one of the club's shining lights in 2018. They do have too many similar types in the midfield with opponents exploiting their lack of outside run – a role the hamstrung Nathan Freeman was recruited to play – when games are up for grabs with West Coast's Andrew Gaff surely a name on their whiteboard given they chased Josh Kelly last season.

And their ruckmen have let them down in all but one game this season. The competitive advantage St Kilda also seemed to establish under Richardson may also have been diluted this season too as every team has ramped up their pressure. But none of those knocks explain the negative plan they applied against Geelong when they threw an extra number at the contest and left their forwards outnumbered, reducing their chances of kicking a winning score to virtually zero. That plan speaks to a mindset that suggests not everyone involved believed the expectations they set themselves.

Perhaps, despite having a major sponsor carrying the word as their brand, the Saints lack dare. The coach, as honest and as genuine as they get, said during the week he is really confident the game plan has given them opportunities to win the game but deploying their strongest weapons in attacking positions has appeared as challenge. The Saints' best result came against the Giants when they literally had a good look at themselves in the lead-up. They watched 10 minutes of footage from the corresponding clash a year earlier when they applied manic pressure to beat the Giants by 23 points. The senior players also asked Richardson to trust them more after the defensive approach taken against Geelong in round four.

Open to the feedback, the coaches then heard what the midfielders would like to see when they charged out of the centre carrying the ball. In basic terms, they wanted even numbers in front of the ball and even numbers in the contest. At half-time, with the game in the balance, the players once again reinforced to the coaches they wanted to continue down the path they had set during the week. That sense of ownership saw the players persist, drawing with the Giants despite trailing and laying 47 forward half tackles compared to the Giants' 26. The players proved that day they wanted to shake off any limits and go for it.

If they plan to win they can defeat Melbourne, a club that could not beat them between 2007-2016 before the Demons broke the drought last year. "They play a really highly contested brand of football, they are a very very good contest team, so there is our first challenge," Kingsley said. "We have to get our hands on the footy and try to be as clean as possible." If things can't be turned around soon then a more formal review might be the only way for the club to find out exactly where they are at. But those at the coalface are confident when the skills return, the Saints will continue to march forward.

"We've just got to keep persisting with the way that we want to play, building the brand and the execution of our brand and at some point of time, hopefully sooner rather than later, we'll kick back into gear and get our game back and going," Kingsley said. St Kilda 2017 2018

Scores Per I50 49.1% 3rd 41.7% 15th

Differentials

Contested Possession +1.8 9th -5.2 16th

Tackles +6.6 1st -0.5 10th

Clearance +2.5 3rd -2.3 16th