THE NEXT two months loom as critical for St Kilda, and coach Alan Richardson is excited to see who delivers during this difficult period.

Richardson wielded the axe at selection this week, dropping Ed Phillips, Nick Coffield, Tom Hickey and Jack Lonie for Saturday's clash against fellow strugglers Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.

The Saints' list has come under criticism for not having enough elite players while the depth has been tested by a spate of injuries, including to captain Jarryn Geary (left calf) and exciting midfielder Blake Acres (groin), while gun backmen Jake Carlisle and Jimmy Webster are among those to have missed games this season.

With no wins since round one, the pressure has ramped up on the club, which gave Richardson a two-year extension last October. 

"I think that's the really exciting thing for our playing group and for our footy club, really for the next eight weeks, to see who puts their hand up," Richardson said at Melbourne airport on Friday.

"Ed Phillips goes out of the team, Coffield goes out of the team, I think they're going to be really good players. They just haven't been able to get it done for the last couple of weeks.

"I want to see how they respond. Go back, not unlike what (Jack) Billings did, and bounce back really strongly."

Billings was dumped for last week's loss to Sydney but responded with 54 disposals and three goals against Frankston in the VFL while playing on a wing, where he is expected to spend plenty of time against the Suns.

"It was a pretty dominant performance in the VFL. It was probably his attitude that was as important for me to see, the way that he went about his game. It was a much more physical performance by Jack," Richardson said.

Former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt questioned on Fox Footy how hard the club went when giving feedback, saying "It wouldn't have been very brutal at all, in my opinion", based on his time at the Saints.

Richardson distances himself from those comments.

"I go to bed as soon as the game's over so I didn't hear it. That was on after. I don't want to get into details about other people's opinions," Richardson said.

The Saints will play a slightly different game style given the experience missing from their side.

"It'd be fair to say this week in particular, there's been a real focus, given how young we've been, on perhaps being a little bit more one-on-one defensively in the way that we've trained and prepared for this week," Richardson said.

Tough ball-winner David Armitage returns on the back of a three-match stint at Sandringham that saw him rack up a combined 108 disposals, despite having carried hamstring tendinitis.

"It certainly looks like he's freed up a bit, Dave. His performance last week would suggest as much," Richardson said.

"Not only was he really good on the inside, which we know Dave brings, but his ability to be able to spread was pretty positive. We think we've gotten over the other side of that (hamstring tendinitis)."

Key forward Josh Bruce booted four goals against the Dolphins on return from a back injury while luckless midfielder Nathan Freeman overcame a left shoulder concern that will need surgery at season's end to collect 28 disposals.

Richardson wants to see "continuity" from them.

"Brucey was probably a little bit better than we expected first game out, which was pleasing. He'd put pressure on pretty quickly I'd imagine," Richardson said.

"'Freezer' the same."