ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon has lamented his side's sluggish start in their 19-point loss to Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night, admitting the team remains far from its best.

Adelaide held the Saints goalless until the halfway point of the second term, with the visitors conceding a 30-point deficit by the major break.

"You can't deliver what we did in the first half and expect to win games, particularly interstate," Lyon said after the match.

The Saints rallied after the main break, winning the contested possession count 46-30 and booting five goals to two in the third-quarter to close the margin to 10 points at three-quarter time.

Midfielders David Armitage (26 possessions, 17 contested) and Nick Dal Santo (29 possessions, one goal) were crucial after half time as the Saints looked likely to upset the fast-starting Crows, but inaccuracy ultimately cost St Kilda any real chance of victory.

Lyon refused to blame the loss entirely on the Saints' ugly finishing.

"Certainly we had some opportunities, but there were other key areas - contested ball, clearance work - they've been common threads over a period of time now."

Despite the result, Lyon said a number of positives had come from the match, particularly the efforts of some of his younger charges.

"[Jamie] Cripps was a bright light, kicking two goals in his first game. Jack Steven also had a few shots on goal. I still think we're quite a good team, we just need to produce [good footy] for four quarters."

He was guarded when questioned about the condition of skipper Nick Riewoldt, who received a heavy knock to the head from Adelaide defender Graham Johncock in the third quarter and failed to return to the field after being helped to the bench by medical staff.

"He passed the concussion test, but was complaining of blurred vision," Lyon said. "We took a no-risk policy.

Lyon declined to say if Riewoldt had been knocked out in the incident, which would rule him out for Saints' clash against Carlton under the AFL's new concussion rule.

The game becomes a season-defining one for St Kilda, which has only one win on the board after five matches.