ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon says West Coast's humiliating week in the press will ensure the Eagles produce a fierce response in their round 16 clash against the Saints.
West Coast was thrust into the spotlight last Saturday after suffering an embarrassing 171-point loss to Sydney - the equal-fourth biggest defeat in VFL/AFL history.
It also extended the Eagles' losing streak to 12 matches, with each of those defeats being by at least 40 points - a record.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson is under pressure to keep his job, with the club standing by him despite the poor run of results.
Lyon empathised with the Eagles' plight, reflecting on the time he led Fremantle to a 133-point loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round 22, 2018.
Fremantle embarked on a week of soul searching after that defeat and almost toppled eventual grand finalists Collingwood in their next game.
Lyon expects West Coast to be similarly fired up against St Kilda at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
"I've been through that on the other side of the ledger," Lyon said on Friday.
"When I was coaching the Dockers, we went down to Geelong and they kicked 23 goals in a row.
"I can't remember what year it was, I think I wiped it from the memory.
"The next game we played Collingwood ... we took them to (nine) points.
"We got humiliated in the press (after that loss to Geelong), as West Coast has been (this week).
"My leaders responded at the time. We understand it's going to be pretty fierce."
The clash will mark Lyon's first game coaching back in Perth since being sacked by Fremantle towards the end of 2019.
But the 56-year-old is more focused on ensuring the fifth-placed Saints (8-6) rediscover their mojo.
St Kilda won six of its first eight games this year but has since slumped to four defeats from the past six games.
Lyon feels his team has lost its identity in recent weeks, highlighted by a two-goal first half in last week's 28-point loss to Brisbane.
"We were really disappointed in our first-half performance," Lyon said.
"The big picture is we just feel we've lost a little bit of how we were playing in the first eight rounds.
"The last four or five weeks we've fallen away in some areas.
"I feel we've lost our identity a bit - our outnumber game, our aggressive defence, and our braveness with the ball.
"We're looking to get that back and it starts this week with West Coast."
The Eagles have been boosted by the returns of Jamie Cripps (ankle) and Shannon Hurn (hamstring), but Elliot Yeo will miss three to four weeks with a hip issue.
The Saints could be strengthened by the return of Seb Ross.
