Josh Bruce found what the Saints went over to Adelaide looking for. And that was form.

After being dropped ahead of St Kilda’s clash with Sydney in Round 9, Bruce was sent back to the VFL to find touch.

He found it last weekend at Victoria Park, booting four goals in less than three quarters to earn another opportunity at AFL level. And he carried it across with him to South Australia on Friday night.

With Nick Riewoldt missing again with a knee injury, Bruce led the way in attack for the Saints, booting four goals from 13 disposals and seven marks (five marks inside 50).

“I just tried to play my role. I got dropped a couple of weeks ago and that stings the pride a little bit,” Bruce told saints.com.au after the 57-point loss to Adelaide.

“I really went back and made sure I worked on what they wanted me to work on. I tried to come back and implement that into the AFL.”

Slow starts away from home have plagued St Kilda in recent years and once again a poor opening quarter came back to bit the Saints at Adelaide Oval.

“It was really disappointing, especially the first quarter; they were able to get on top of us and we weren’t able to fight back from there,” Bruce said.

“We rectified a few things after quarter time, but a disappointing start.”

Bruce said the Saints were left to rue wayward kicking in front of goal, with wasted opportunities preventing Alan Richardson’s side from arresting any momentum throughout the night.

“It was unfortunate we weren’t able to capitalise with some goals; we missed some pretty easy shots,” he said.

“If we had of turned those into goals it could have been a different story, but that’s the old adage in footy.”