ST KILDA was taught a 'football lesson' by reigning premiers Richmond on Friday night according to coach Alan Richardson.

The Tigers had full control of the contest from midway through the first term at Etihad Stadium and held a 32-point lead at quarter-time.

By half-time the game was over, as the Tigers had steamrolled their way to a 58-point advantage. Richardson's side won both the third and fourth terms by small margins but still fell to Richmond by nine goals in the latest defeat of a dismal season.

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Richardson said he had spent most of his post-game chat with his players speaking about the Tigers instead of his own side, such was the dominance of their performance.

"We were certainly given a footy lesson tonight. In fact, we spent most of our time talking about Richmond with the players post-game," he said.

"We didn't get near them early. They were way too physical and way too dynamic. That was disappointing."

The Saints entered the game in the best form of their season, having won three of the previous four contests.

However, the Tigers' blowout took some of the gloss off that encouraging run, and Richardson said it was important the Saints learned something out of the defeat.

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"The feedback was 'Why are they so consistently strong?' Even in their defeats they play in a certain way so without going into all the minor details, I would hope the players have real clarity on what that looks like," he said.

"They were clean under pressure always and they play for each other always. They've had a group that's been together for a while now and that's where we want to be.

"Our footy has been heading in the right way and we got a bit of a lesson tonight. We'll learn from that and challenge this group really strongly to respond."

The Saints' efforts after half-time improved but Richardson admitted the "sting" had gone out of the game by then. It was their fifth loss of 47 points or more for the season and highlighted the discrepancy between the best sides in the competition.

"It says there's a gap, clearly. When a club like Richmond is at its best, we're not there yet. I was expecting more, we were expecting more of each other, and we were disappointed we weren't at a higher level when their pressure was as high as it was," he said.

WATCH Alan Richardson's full post-match media conference

"When they were surging the footy in such a strong manner we weren't able to cope with that."

The Saints play Greater Western Sydney next Saturday at Spotless Stadium, and could welcome back Jimmy Webster (groin) from injury. Defender Nathan Brown (hamstring) could also return, while Blake Acres will again press his case at VFL level after a groin injury interrupted his season. 

Nathan Freeman's long-awaited debut could also become a reality with a strong performance in the VFL, with Richardson admitting more spots had opened up for players performing outside of the senior team after the Richmond defeat.