Geelong coach Mark Thompson has backed the AFL premiers to prove that their eyebrow-raising loss to St Kilda was an aberration.

The Cats did not score a goal in the second half, the first time that has happened since 2001, and they lost by 24 points.

St Kilda drew level with them on points at the top of the ladder but Geelong remain No.1 because of a better percentage after 13 rounds.

"If it happened next week and the week after I'd probably walk in this room and it would be a lot different," Thompson said after Friday night's match.

"An aberration we can accept, performances like that, so long as they're not repeat performances.

"We've had a history of bouncing back, a history of being able to handle these situations, losses, bad losses, bad halves, working through it and coming out the other end.

"That's what our intentions are now."

The Cats took control in the second quarter to lead by 16 points at the main break but St Kilda then turned the game on its head with five goals in the third term.

Thompson said his side were well aware the Saints would come out hard after half time but simply could not match them.

"I don't know - at half-time we just reinforced how we were doing pretty well at the things we wanted to and I didn't see it coming," he said.

"St Kilda were fantastic and one thing we did say, was that St Kilda would come out and have an honest go in the third quarter, as they always do, and we just didn't turn up.

"We didn't play nearly well enough and let St Kilda in and they took the opportunity and played terrific."

Just as St Kilda were missing key players, Geelong were also not at full strength.

Midfielder James Kelly pulled out only minutes before the opening bounce because of illness.

But Thompson said personnel was not an excuse.

"Clearly with the players we had we thought we deserved a better performance and we'll just go searching for that," he said.

Thompson expects Kelly, Joel Corey (knee) and Paul Chapman (hamstring) to return for next Sunday's Skilled Stadium match against North Melbourne.

Jimmy Bartel hyper-extended his elbow in the final term and Harry Taylor suffered a badly-cut foot.

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