Rather than flirt with their impeccable form, St Kilda will avoid unforced team changes in the run-up to the AFL finals.

The Saints have only used 26 players after 14 rounds - even their main rivals Geelong have reached 30.

Sunday's cracking six-point win over the Cats put St Kilda a game clear of Geelong on top of the ladder with a 14-0 record ahead of their trip to face West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

While Saints coach Ross Lyon admits the team is starting to think about the next two months, selection will remain strictly based on form and fitness.

Asked about the possibility of team rotation, Lyon replied: "It hasn't been on the agenda, really - we really like winning at the Saints and it's 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 go in and come out.

"But fundamentally, it's about earning your spot and keeping your spot.

"We won't be rotating and resting players."

The philosophy is also a reflection of the extensive overhaul the Saints made of their fitness and conditioning since Lyon took over in 2007.

In particular, Lyon enticed highly-credentialled strength and conditioning coach Dave Misson from Sydney.

The last time St Kilda were anywhere near this well placed for a tilt at the premiership, in 2004 and 2005, injuries often unsettled their side, particularly the defence.

It is a football truism that all premiership teams boast a stable back six.

While Max Hudghton has had injuries, players such as All-Australian Sam Fisher, the much-improved Zac Dawson and Sam Gilbert have shone in defence.

The reliability of the backmen has kept 99-gamer Matt Maguire out of the senior side all season despite overcoming his injury woes of recent years.

With 14 wins, the Saints are practically guaranteed at least a top-two finish and Lyon admits they are starting to think strategically about the remaining eight rounds of the regular season.

But he stressed their only focus was about how they could perform even better.

"We just spoke about it today, there's eight weeks of the home-and-away (season) to go, clearly we're going to play finals and we've got a lot of things to improve," he said.

"We haven't got much time to do it.

"We're certainly not looking around, looking at the ladder and seeing where we sit, it's about continual improvement."

The Saints will be strong favourites against West Coast, but Lyon is wary of the Eagles at home.

"Internally, the preparation was no different and it will be no different this week - we will put in exactly the same amount of meeting, exactly the same amount of footage seen," Lyon said of preparing for the Cats and the Eagles.

"We'll train exactly the same way."

Hudghton missed the Cats win with an ankle injury and Lyon said he was unsure whether the key defender would return for the Perth trip.

"He's still recovering from his ankle injury and he's in rehab," Lyon said.

"He's going to try and make himself available, we won't know until later in the week."

The Saints had a light one-hour run on Wednesday as they continue to recover from Sunday's bruising blockbuster.

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