Ross Lyon has torn strips off a St Kilda side he says isn't worthy of an AFL finals campaign after a 26-point loss to Gold Coast he described as a "stumbling, fumbling mess".
Saints sit in sixth at 9-8 after the 11.11 (77) to 8.3 (51) loss on Saturday at the Suns' Heritage Bank Stadium.
They trailed 19-0 and were never truly in the contest as Jack Lukosius kicked four goals and unlikely pair Rory Atkins (32 disposals, two goals) and Sam Flanders (33 disposals, five clearances) starred.
It was a resounding bounce-back for the Suns (8-9) after Tuesday's sacking of coach Stuart Dew, the side still just one win and percentage outside the top eight.
And while Lyon praised the Suns' contested work, he was more critical of his team's decision making and execution.
"Is it off? Lack of skill? Lack of ball handling? Lack of technique, handballing at the feet?," Lyon questioned.
"I've seen it for a long period of time now, the same guys making the same errors. We've just got to improve our craft."
St Kilda were 4-0 before a close loss to Collingwood in a blazing start to the season.
Lyon didn't hide from his side's dramatic fade-out since, saying it was the football department's task to find improvement in an offence that's yielded just one 100-point game all season.
"How we've been playing, particularly today, we don't deserve to (play finals) and we won't earn the right," he said.
"When our top flight (players) aren't really going, there's not enough quality to step up and take the load off them, as harsh as that might be.
"We were a fumbling, stumbling mess coming out when we had opportunities.
"Somehow, our offence has become totally lost and confused and unpredictable.
"In the end, you're trying to pull a rabbit out of your hat and give it a silver bullet."
Brad Hill did his best to spark something with some brave, powerful running, while Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Brad Crouch both had 28 touches and Jack Steele made eight tackles.
But the Suns shared the load, Bailey Humphrey, Ben Long, Brandon Ellis and Wil Powell all making a difference to ensure the work wasn't left to the core of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and fit-again Touk Miller.
"It's a testament to their resilience and mental resolve to then get up for that fight," interim Suns coach Steven King said.
"We saw those signs in the first quarter; there was a lot of scrapping, fighting ... a lot of mistakes but geez we were at them.
"I thought, 'They've bought in today, it's going to be a good day for the club'."
Dew on Tuesday was axed during his sixth season in charge, club bosses describing a gap between expectation and reality that they believed had widened.
The side needs just two more wins to equal last season's club-best campaign, although they'll likely need five victories in the final six rounds to cement a maiden finals berth.
