Footy great Matthew Lloyd says drinking culture at St Kilda was so strong players would get heckled by teammates for refusing to get on the beers - but Ross Lyon has put a stop to it

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Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd says the move away from the strong 'drinking culture' at St Kilda has been an important part of the club's head-turning run of form under Ross Lyon.

The Saints have won their first three games for the first time since 2010 and are sitting pretty at the top of the ladder.

Lloyd, who played 270 AFL games for Essendon from 1995 to 2009, believes the impact that boozing was having on the side cannot be overlooked before Lyon's return as coach.

'Culturally, there was a drinking culture at St Kilda, you'd go out and if you decided you didn't want to drink, you'd be heckled for that even though you're a professional footballer,' Lloyd told Channel Nine's Footy Classified.

Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd says the move away from the strong 'drinking culture' at St Kilda has been an important part of the club's recent run of form under Ross Lyon (pictured)

The Saints have won their first three games to sit at the top of the ladder

'So changing that mindset at St Kilda to go 'you know what, you can go out and not drink because you want to be the best AFL footballer you can be' and I think that has changed to the point where more players don't drink than drink, which has never been the case.

'They enjoyed a good time, they didn't know what elite standards were and if you tried to go away from that and be the ultimate professional, you got heckled and put down for that.

'Ross has changed that aspect and it's standing out now.'

Journalist Caroline Wilson said that Lyon has also adopted a similar program to Geelong, which gives players an extra day off each week to recover.

'He's trusting them, a touch of the Chris Scotts, he gives them Mondays off so from Saturday night they won't turn up at Moorabbin until tomorrow [Tuesday],' she said.

'He's given them the extra time, but he's given them the trust.'

Fox Footy's Nathan Buckley tipped the Saints to struggle this year and has had to admit Lyon is working wonders with the side.

'I had them bottom four. I thought they had so many holes they'd struggle to fill but they've got young guys that have come up and stepped up to play important roles, which is a mantra of Ross Lyon,' he explained to On The Couch.

Journalist Caroline Wilson said Lyon has also adopted a similar program to Geelong, with players given an extra day off each week to recover

'He just gets players to play roles for the team and lift their standards above what you think they're capable of.'

The Saints will look to continue their impressive run when they host Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.