Ahead of Round 21 where St Kilda play Richmond at Etihad Stadium, Senior Coach Ross Lyon was quick to make it known that there were some clear positives that came out of the Saints’ 52 point win at Etihad Stadium against North Melbourne in Round 20.

Possibly the most exciting of which coming from a seven goal effort from St Kilda Captain Nick Riewoldt.

“Clearly we like our players being in form, and he was (on the weekend)” Ross said about Riewoldt. “Nick still has plenty of things to work on and I think his (performance) was a result of a dominant midfield and backline giving him a lot of opportunities.”

“He has pulled up well and will be full steam ahead this week. He will continue to build match condition every minute he plays and he will certainly go into this week injury free and fit.”

In his fifth game back in the side since returning from injury, Lyon explained that the process for monitoring Riewoldt is clearly important - as it is for all the other 21 players in the side.

“Certainly we monitor him throughout the course of a game. We have the sports science people and the coaches, and if anything extra comes from the conditioners we listen to them, as it is a no risk policy - as it is with all our players.”

“(Nick) is certainly an important resource, but all of our players are treated with genuine care and respect at all times.”

Another player who made a solid impact on Sunday afternoon was Jason Gram, who returned from groin surgery along with Riewoldt against Brisbane in Round 15.

Speaking on the progress of both players, Lyon said; “They are clearly in our top six and it has taken four to five weeks to get them to a level where they can really impact games like they have in the past, and the aim is for that to continue.”

Looking ahead to the Round 21 clash against the Tigers, Lyon is confident that his team will continue to improve on their recent form.

“I think everyone has lifted their work without the ball and we’re not as easy to play against as we were the previous three weeks.”

“We played Port Adelaide and North Melbourne, who were both coming off really good wins so we’ve felt we have come up against some reasonable challenges and we certainly put them to bed.”

“We have a new challenge now this week with Richmond and the aim is for everybody to keep working hard.”

With Lyon expecting Zac Dawson to be a possible return from hand surgery, he is expected to pick up Coleman Medal leader Jack Riewoldt, the younger cousin of the St Kilda Captain.

“If Zac is available he will play - he is our full back. He is going to train and I am hopeful he will be available.”

With only two matches left before the finals campaign begins, Lyon is remaining focused on the task at hand to ensure he and his players come into September at their peak.

“We’re taking it one week at a time, that is the reality. We’ll certainly keep an eye on all the other finalists so there are not too many surprises, but our aim is to fix our football.”

“At the minute I think we are about 60-70% roughly, and we need to find that 30% in a hurry, so that is where all our energy is going at the minute.”

But Ross is certainly not shying away from the challenge ahead.

“The AFL is an elite competition and I think every time you go down the race it is a new and unique challenge.”

As St Kilda’s final home match as part of the 2010 Home and Away season, the Club is urging as many fans as possible to get down to Etihad Stadium and support their team in red, white and black. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, you can do it now via www.ticketmaster.com.au