ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon says his team’s ability to play with injuries has been a factor in its success this year.

While the Saints are undefeated after 12 weeks and only have two players – Jarryd Allen and Xavier Clarke - on the injured list, Lyon told afl.com.au that was not simply a case of good luck.

“The reality is we’ve had some injuries, but blokes have been able to play and carry them. That is a tribute to their mental toughness,” Lyon said.

The Saints’ casualty list is a lot smaller than most, but Lyon said he had learnt to deal with injuries in his first two seasons as coach.

"I look at some of the figures from other teams and I look at what we went through in ‘07 and ‘08, and I don’t think any of them are any worse,” he said.

“It certainly makes it more difficult when you have injuries, but I am sure we’ve started to get a few.”

St Kilda has dominated this year with a ruthless game plan based on defensive pressure, but the coach dismisses any idea the Saints cannot sustain their physical style of play over the course of the season.

“I think it’s been blown out of proportion. There are about four or five teams averaging more tackles than us at the minute,” he said.

“We’ve been challenged in a number of ways, and there are going to be people telling us we can, people telling us we can’t, people telling us what a successful season is from here. All it is for us is a trigger to refocus on what we know works for us which is preparation and teamwork and persistence.”

To read the full exclusive interview with Ross Lyon, click here