ST KILDA midfielder Luke Ball has told detractors not to get carried away after his side's 38-point loss to the Western Bulldogs last Friday.

"It's actually the first loss we've had this year," he was quick to point out.

Ball also defended teammates Nick Dal Santo and Robert Harvey, who came in for plenty of criticism after last week's loss.

"People can tend to jump on the people who get the positive write-ups as well so I know those guys have taken it on the chin and I've got no doubt they'll respond this week," he said.

At the start of the season, the Saints were considered among the most likely sides to challenge the Cats for the flag in 2008, but that confidence quickly disappeared after their round-three capitulation to the Bulldogs.

Going into last week's match the Saints were in fourth place on the ladder and a highly fancied $6.50 chance for the premiership.

Today, those odds are $11 and that still ranks them third.

Ball was unable to explain much of last week's poor performance, other than a loss of momentum after his team had run out to a 38-point lead in the first quarter. "I think in the first quarter we were very instinctive and we used (the ball) very well and we got it down there quick … and then for some reason they got their game together, but we stopped a little bit," he said.

But, Ball said, he and his teammates were looking forward to answering their critics when they take on Geelong at Telstra Dome tomorrow.

"Games against them have been pretty competitive in the past, and they've probably taken that extra step over the last couple of years, so we'll have another chance to see really where we're at," Ball said.

He was speaking at the launch of his club's Saints in the Community program, which incorporates partnerships with four charities — Make-A-Wish Australia, Sacred Heart Mission, Starlight Children's Foundation and the Alannah and Madeleine Foundation — and involves all of the players in community-based activities on a weekly basis.

"It's very humbling — it's embarrassing at times — but the Saints' community program is all about embracing it and doing something about it rather than standing back and ignoring it," he said.

Ball said the program was also a good way of reminding his teammates about the realities of life that were outside football.