Key forward Josh Bruce believes St Kilda’s ability to respond when challenged in the second half and stick to the Saints brand of football were the key positives to emerge from the three-point win over Geelong.

After leading by as much as 31-points in the second quarter, a Cats resurgence after half-time saw Geelong nose in front, before the lead changed hands a couple of times. With the pressure mounting and another loss against a top-eight side on the cards, the Saints held their nerve to produce a stunning upset at Etihad Stadium.

Bruce, St Kilda’s leading goal kicker this season on 25.13, revealed the main positive to emerge from Monday’s review meeting was the Saints persistence in the heat of battle.

“We played our brand of footy right from the start, which is a really bold, aggressive, high-pressure brand of footy,” Bruce told Melbourne radio station SEN on Tuesday.

“As we have been in the past this year, we’ve been knocked off our way and that didn’t happen against Geelong.

“They came back at us in the third quarter and managed to get back in front, but we stuck to our game plan and stuck to the way we play so that was really pleasing.”

Ahead of this weekend’s clash with Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium, Bruce said the Saints are desperate to improve their record on the road, following underwhelming efforts against Adelaide and West Coast in recent months.

“They were really disappointing losses, especially with the way we see ourselves going this year,” Bruce said.

“We were able to perform really strongly against Hawthorn down in Tasmania which is a bit of a fortress for them, so we’ve proven that we can do it, it must just be a mental thing.

“We’ve spoken a lot about self-belief and believing that we can win when we are away and against really top teams. We’re really looking forward to taking some steps to improve that this weekend against Gold Coast.”

With emerging spearhead Paddy McCartin returning against the Cats, the combination of Bruce, McCartin and Tim Membrey experienced their fourth game in the same forward setup.

On the partnership that will undoubtedly improve over time, Bruce said the ensemble is beginning to learn the nuances of each other’s games.

“We’re starting to get some really good continuity and consistency with the way we know each other plays,” Bruce said.

“There’s just a few little things that will just build over the years so it’s really exciting and we’re all just trying to improve each week.”

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