St Kilda defender Shane Savage says the Saints weren’t up for the fight at the SCG, with their second consecutive loss making the pursuit of September even more difficult.

On a night Savage labelled as ‘disappointing’, Sydney took control of proceedings early and led from start to finish to win their 10th win from their last 11 games, firming as a premiership contender in the process.

Despite his St Kilda's poor performance, Savage continued his strong recent form, finishing with 27 disposals, six inside 50s and 471 metres gained against the Swans.

“It was obviously a really disappointing night. He [Alan Richardson] thought from the get-go we got bullied by a better team that was in better form and we just weren’t up for the fight,” Savage told ABC Grandstand after the 42-point loss on Saturday night.

“We ended up losing contest, not by a heap, but just critical moments we weren’t able to execute under pressure. It was a really disappointing night in the end.

Monday Wash-Up: Round 18 v Sydney

“We always knew it was going to be a tough contest. We were feeling really good before the game. I’m not too sure what happened.

“They were obviously up for the fight on their home deck and we just weren’t able to get into the game.”

After returning from the harbour city on Sunday, St Kilda will travel across to the city of churches on Friday to face Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, at a ground where the Saints have never won.

With the Power also coming off a poor performance against Melbourne at the MCG on the weekend, Savage expects to face an imposing outfit in South Australia.

“It sure will (be a challenge), at their home deck and they play really well there,” Savage said.

“They had a disappointing loss (against Melbourne) so they’ll be looking to so it’s going to be a really good contest because we know how close the season is, we can’t afford to drop any more games.”