DESPITE sitting one game clear of Geelong at the top of the ladder and four clear of the Western Bulldogs in third position, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says he has no plans to give any of his players a rest in the lead-up to the finals.
Lyon said he would be hesitant to tamper with a winning formula that sees the Saints undefeated after 14 rounds.
St Kilda has used just 26 players this season, four less than the Cats and Bulldogs and 10 fewer than fourth-placed Collingwood.
"It hasn't been on the agenda," Lyon said from Linen House Oval on Wednesday afternoon. "We really like winning at the Saints and it is pretty hard to get yourself in a position where you’re playing good enough football to win.
"We’ll pick the team for what we need over at Subiaco against the Eagles and it may mean some players come in and go out but, fundamentally, it’s about earning your spot and keeping your spot.
"We won’t be rotating and resting players."
The Saints meet West Coast on Sunday afternoon with the Eagles coming off a disappointing loss to cellar-dweller Melbourne.
However, Lyon said he would not take them lightly.
"There are no easy games in AFL football," he said. "Melbourne laid an incredible 89 tackles so it was a fierce game. I was there to watch it and West Coast’s strengths are their contested ball. They win the most contested ball in the comp.
"We are under no illusions it is going to be really difficult. It is a home crowd and they’ve got a lot of young players, a lot of excitement.
"Clearly teams see us as a benchmark in the competition along with a couple of others and they will really come to test themselves."
Adding to West Coast’s woes is news that ruckman Dean Cox (groin) and key onballer Daniel Kerr (soreness) may not return this week.
While that spells good news for the Saints, Lyon is not getting too excited.
"They’ll run down with 22 players and they’ll have two arms, two legs and it will be a big challenge," he said.
"They are 4-3 at home for the year and I think only one team has kicked 100 points against them.
"I’d like everyone to absorb the lesson. There are no easy games of AFL footy and we haven’t got that luxury. People can talk about it but they don’t exist."
