Regardless of Lenny Hayes' knee injury, St Kilda have some serious work to do in a hurry after a shaky start to their AFL season.

Coach Ross Lyon saw some good signs in Friday night's riveting draw with Richmond, but acknowledges they need to play much better.

Their first half against Geelong last week was torrid and they failed to make the most of a strong start against the Tigers.

St Kilda did well to come back when it looked like Richmond might take the game away from them, but they are nowhere near the side that made the last two grand finals.

"There's no doubt it reflects our consistency of preparation, it has to, mentally or physically," he said.

"So we have to keep working on that, no doubt - that's the underlying issue.

"If you want to compare it to the football we've played in the past, we have a fair bit of work to do, haven't we.

"It's yet to be gleaned whether we can get to that standard again, but we'll pull together and work really hard."

The Saints fear the worst with Hayes, who was in agony after hurting his left knee in the third term.

It is an echo of this time last year, when captain Nick Riewoldt was sidelined for several weeks with a serious hamstring injury.

Lyon spoke to his players behind closed doors for about 30 minutes post-match and Hayes was a key discussion point.

Noting how well Hayes led the team while Riewoldt was injured, Lyon said others had to follow that example.

"Let's not wait a couple of weeks to get going," he said.

Lyon said it was unfair to single out Brendon Goddard and Leigh Montagna for their struggles against Richmond, but admitted some senior players had to lift.

"There are some senior players out of form and if they don't change quick enough, we'll continue to bleed (new players) in," he said.

Friday night's draw continued a run of close results for the Saints.

Counting last year's grand final tie, three of their last four games have featured a combined margin of one point.

They lost to Geelong by a point in round one and now have drawn against the Tigers.

St Kilda's next opponents are Essendon, who have become a problem side.

Including this year's NAB Cup, the Bombers have four wins and a draw from their last five clashes.

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