ST KILDA star Sam Fisher says his team has developed the confidence it can run out games when challenged by strong opposition.
The Saints led Fremantle by just three points at three-quarter-time on Friday night, but booted six goals to none in the last quarter to emerge with a 41-point win.
The result came three weeks after they responded to a West Coast Eagles rally by booting five goals to one in the final term in a come-from-behind victory.
Fisher put the strong finishes down to depth and fitness.
"When a few guys are down other guys step up, so it makes the team able to run out games a lot easier," the 29-year-old said after the victory.
"We're running them out well in the last few weeks, so it gives us confidence going into the last quarter that we're fit enough and we can run over teams."
Despite the current six-game winning streak, which has propelled the Saints into the top eight, Fisher said the team was not yet back to its best.
"We still got a lot of areas that we can improve on," he said.
"We didn't play perfect footy tonight."
One such area was its effectiveness in front of goal early in the match. The Saints had 11 scoring shots to Fremantle's four in the first quarter, but only took a 17-point lead into the first change.
"There were probably a few shots from the boundary that could have been centred," Fisher said.
"With a bit more discipline there we might have been able to get some shots in from a bit straighter.
"It's a matter of taking the opportunities because otherwise it comes back to bite you on the bum a bit later on."
Fisher also noted his team's drop-off around the contests as Fremantle fought back during the second quarter.
"They lifted their work-rate, and we got a bit disorganised," he said.
"They won the contested ball and out-tackled us.
"They're some of our key indicators, and they got on top of us in those areas, which meant they were able to win the ball and score quite heavily from it."
The Saints face Collingwood next Friday night, a test that will likely show how far they've come in their recovery from a sluggish start to the season.
"They're obviously the benchmark team in the competition, so we've just got to bring our best effort like we did tonight and see where it takes us," Fisher said.