JASON Akermanis kicked six goals against St Kilda at the Docklands yesterday, equalling a career-best number and proving yet again that he is blue chip stock for the speculative Western Bulldogs. But Aka was not completely happy with what was, ultimately, a match-winning performance.

"It's funny you know," he said afterward. "You go all right and you kick goals, and I'm thinking about the ones that I missed that were easy. I'm spewing about those, but that's footy.

"That's an OK day out but as a forward you're always a by-product of your team. Any given week, it can be any given player. It might be Bobby Murphy next week or (Scott) Welsh or (Will) Minson. That's why we're so potent, I think, because we share it around."

In an otherwise tight game, Akermanis' 6.4 from half-forward was the icing on the cake for Rodney Eade's team.

St Kilda tried Jason Gram, Sam Fisher and Jarryn Geary on the Brownlow medallist without success. Gram and Fisher found plenty of the ball, but at a high cost.

"You don't want to go out and lock down on everyone," said Ross Lyon, the St Kilda coach. "You highlight that he's a dangerous player. At times he got off the chain a bit."

Akermanis' efficiency summed up the difference between the teams.

Across the four quarters St Kilda entered its attacking 50-metre zone just one fewer time, but lost by 27 points.

The Saints trailed by 47 points at one stage of the third quarter, making the last-quarter flurry of six goals academic. The Bulldogs' finishing was vastly better.

"They used the ball really well, and we slaughtered it," Lyon said.

By the last quarter, Geary was doing his best to push Akermanis wide with his leads. It did not matter. Aka bombed one from an angle on the city side, then drilled another from deep in the pocket on the docks side.

Each time, he took scarcely any time to prepare, a little like Leigh Matthews used to do. Automatic, it was.

Akermanis, 31, said he had never played better, and it's hard to argue. He has 28 goals in the opening 11 games of the season. "It's equal to any," he said. "I'm playing a different role, of course. I played more in the midfield at Brisbane. Today I tried to get into the midfield, but I couldn't get there for whatever reason, and I was going all right up forward and they said 'stay there'.

"If they're hitting you lace-out, it's hard to stop, it doesn't matter how good the backman is. I was just part of that."

The veteran said he and his teammates were driven by the disappointment of 2007.

"It's been a burning desire. Last year was so disappointing for myself and as a group. We went back to the drawing board and said 'we're not going to accept that. We're better than that'.

"We spoke about earning back some respect more than anything, and we'll get it from the footy world eventually. So far, so good."

A premiership is in the offing, despite the higher rating of Geelong and Hawthorn.

The Bulldogs are out to prove their bona fides.

"You're always a chance, absolutely," Akermanis said.

"That's always the aim. If we keep improving, I think we can beat any side, anywhere.

"The way it's been, we don't mind. The expectations were so high last year and we lost the trust of the public and the media. They haven't quite got on to that but we're not worried by that."

Could he have another Brownlow in him? "You never know. You'd have to ask the umpires. They're individual awards and they're great but we've got a lot of good players who take votes off each other if you're winning games, and (Adam) Cooney would be your best bet I reckon."