St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has again refused to utter the "F" word despite his team edging ever closer to a top eight berth after a workmanlike 17-point win over Hawthorn at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.

With four wins from its past five games since the mid-season break, the Saints are now just outside the eight on percentage alongside Sydney, Adelaide and Essendon.

"It was always going to be a difficult game. You don't fluke being second on the ladder, they've been in good form and it was a real challenge for our group, so it was pleasing to get away with the four points," Lyon said.

But the St Kilda coach was not looking too far ahead, instead praising his team for the way they have fought back after a slow start to the season.

"We're not really looking at the ladder and our win-loss. It's about us (and) clearly we needed to improve as a team from where we were and we set ourselves some areas to work on over the break," Lyon said.

"Win or lose, we want to continue to try and deliver on them and we feel we're doing that and that's obviously created the potential for us to win some games."

"You can talk about the process, method, focus, KPIs, whatever, but we've got a couple of things we're focusing on and it's standing the team in really good stead under pressure."

Lyon said this game was played under different circumstances to the previous clash between the two sides at the MCG - an encounter which many in the media dubbed a 'snorefest' after just seven goals were kicked to three-quarter time in perfect conditions.

"Yeah a few more goals were kicked," Lyon laughed. "I've had a fair opportunity to look at Hawthorn, but we didn't prepare any differently than we would for any other opposition."

"But you do understand them a little bit more. They've got some very talented young players, and you start to understand their strengths and weaknesses a little bit more. In saying that, I never relaxed until the siren went and it was always difficult all night."

Lyon said Matthew Clarke and James Gwilt would come under consideration for next week's clash against Carlton but could go into the match without Justin Koschitzke, whose late bump on Hawthorn ruckman Robert Campbell could come under scrutiny from the match review panel.