AN OVERHAUL of St Kilda's travel routine is set to change the club's poor form when playing outside of Melbourne.
The Saints took a bus up to Albury for a clash with Sydney last Sunday night and came away with an encouraging three-point defeat to the 2016 runners-up.
After two honourable losses against Port Adelaide in South Australia and Hawthorn in Tasmania in 2016, St Kilda was dominated in its next three interstate outings versus Adelaide, West Coast and Gold Coast.
Leadership group member Mav Weller said at Seaford on Tuesday a less complicated approach helped the side perform better.
"We just simplified everything. We allowed the boys to do what they do at home. If you do get up early and do your routine, then that's what you do," Weller said.
"There's no pressure on, or there's no structure really on game day, this is what you've got to do. Overall, it worked really well."
For the 25-year-old who likes to sleep in, the change worked and Weller expected the club to implement it during the season.
"Personally, it felt really good. It's a weird scenario, away game and also a night game, so it's a long day in your rooms but whatever it is, you've got to keep things to routine and the club's been really good allowing us to do that," he said.
The Saints have a trip to Perth in round two when they come up against the Eagles, which will be the first of six games outside Victoria.
Of those matches, four will be against finalists from 2016 – West Coast, Hawthorn (in Tasmania), Adelaide and Sydney.
St Kilda will enter the home and away season with momentum after winning its two other JLT Community Series matches and finishing on top of the unofficial pre-season ladder, more than 20 per cent ahead of second-placed Greater Western Sydney.
That winning form was no accident.
"You can't turn up and say 'we're just going to cruise through this one'. To build a good culture, you've got to go out there and give it your best every game," Weller said.
"For us, a young side, each game's a good opportunity for us to build on becoming a good, consistent team."
Becoming more efficient going inside 50 has been a focus for the club this pre-season. Despite having a promising band of talls with Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey and Paddy McCartin, as well as Nick Riewoldt running amok from a wing, the club finished ninth in scoring last year.
"It's just an entry sort of thing. We've been working on a few little drills," Weller said.
"There's some things in our game plan that we tried to implement over the JLT that's a bit different and it's just going to take some work.
"Getting that continuity at training and building a bit of chemistry between the forwards, we're still relatively young down there (but) we are starting to play some footy together so I think progressively that will just happen."
Weller left the match against the Swans after a corked leg but said he was fine.
"It's really just a precautionary thing that I came out of the game early, to get it right for round one," he said.
The Saints will look to make it 15-straight wins against Melbourne in its season opener at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, March 25.
