St Kilda have stepped up from good to great this AFL season because they have eliminated any weak links.

While the Saints reached last year's preliminary final, there was a feeling outside the club that was far as they would go, that this group's time had just about passed.

Instead, key players such as Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes have continued to produce at the elite level and the second-string personnel have improved noticeably.

Everyone contributes, particularly in terms of their "total defence" strategy that has routinely strangled opposition ball use.

A case in point is midfielder Clint Jones, who has missed only one game this season and has impressed with a succession of shut-down roles.

His performance will be crucial in Sunday's qualifying final against Collingwood, particularly given the Magpies have developed solid midfield depth.

The last time they met, Jones played on Dane Swan and he would be a logical assignment this time, given the Collingwood star's prolific ball use.

"He's been really good - the strength of the team all year has been the 22," Hayes said of Jones.

"And not only the 22 - everyone (on the list) has improved in different areas.

"We probably have a group of 10-12 guys who've really improved their football, Clint is one of those, and they've been consistent as well."

A central tenet of coach Ross Lyon's philosophy is that what happens during the week goes a long way to determining how the Saints perform on game day.

It's basic stuff, but the attitude over the years at Moorabbin to training discipline has been mixed.

Jones' run-with role demands homework - not too much, but enough to know what he will confront.

Some weeks he will know the coming weekend's assignment by Tuesday, other times he will not find out until Friday or Saturday.

"During the week, I will have a look at a couple of guys I'm potentially going to get - I will go over their vision, see how they move, that sort of stuff," he said.

"I just go from there, have a chat to the midfield coach and learn as much as I can about them and the best way I can go about it.

"You can put too much time into them, you can go overboard and drive yourself crazy a bit - maybe half an hour on each player."

Jones will also talk to Sean Dempster and Steven Baker, two other defensive midfielders, and sometimes will tag with Dempster on a particular player.

"A lot of the guys I've come up against, Bakes and Dempster have played against them in previous years - I always check in with them and see how they went about it, that sort of stuff.

"Even at times this year, I've worked in well with Seany, doing run-with roles together.

"Bakes has been really good for me, someone I can always go back to and he's given me plenty of advice."

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