Just when St Kilda and its supporters thought there was reason to again be optimistic after a break-through win against West Coast in Perth last weekend, many are now wondering if the latest sex scandal to hit the club could derail premiership aspirations.

In an era where clubs pride themselves more than ever on the "one percenters", the spotlight on the club on Wednesday - and no doubt for the rest of the week - following claims by a teenage school girl that she had sex with two players and was impregnated by one will be intense.

While the AFL and Victoria Police late on Wednesday cleared the pair of any wrongdoing, including allegations they had originally met the girl at a high school footy clinic in February, the scandal comes only three months after another Saint, midfielder Andrew Lovett, was sacked for rape.

Betting on the Saints' match against Adelaide this weekend was suspended last night, while the fate of the two players was still to be determined, and their availability (or otherwise) announced.

It's an unsavoury business all round, but supporters worrying about the fall-out from this latest drama may have good reason to remain optimistic.

In March 2004, police were called to investigate rape claims against Saints Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna made by two women after the club's family day.

Rather than let the allegations rip the club apart and become a convenient excuse for failure, then coach Grant Thomas declared: "I've got no doubt that it will galvanise us and make us even stronger and closer and better".

While not making light of the rape allegations, those words were to prove prophetic.

The Saints would go on and win 10 straight to start the season, lose only six matches through the home-and-away campaign and would eventually fall just six points short of the grand final when beaten by Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

Coach Ross Lyon was clearly frustrated - and understandably so - when initially peppered with questions by reporters at Moorabbin on Wednesday.

Asked about the state of mind of the two players involved, he said: "No-one likes to be involved in any situation. So to the best of my knowledge they're handling some level of stress".

Several of Lyon's responses clearly showed he, too, was feeling the pinch.

But the challenge for him is to now follow the lead of Thomas, a man he replaced in 2007 and hasn't been afraid to have a dig at every now and again, and maintain confidence and focus within the group.

Lyon, for his part, has started in the right manner.

"We certainly don't enjoy any distractions, we like to prepare physically and mentally for our upcoming opponent and we'll do that," he said.

The 16-year-old girl reportedly said she met the players at a high school football coaching clinic and later reintroduced herself to them in Sydney after the club's round-one match against the Swans on March 27.

But the AFL and St Kilda say the two players did not meet the girl until after the round-one game.

"The relationship between each of the two young players and the teenage female was consensual and started after the two young players were introduced to her, following the match in Sydney on 27th March," the Saints said in a statement last night.

"The players did not obtain the teenage female's contact details when attending an AFL school visit - phone records reviewed thus far by the AFL confirm that there was no contact made to the teenage female prior to the match in Sydney.

"Victoria Police have confirmed to the AFL that they have interviewed the teenage female and will be taking no action.

"The AFL has interviewed the teenage female and confirmed that her story independently supports the statements made by the players."

Despite the upheaval in the Saints' camp, and regardless of whether the two players involved in the scandal sit out, they should have enough firepower to knock off Adelaide, an opponent that has won just two games this season.

"Obviously, it will take a strong group to stay focused, but we feel we're that. And that's our aim. We've got a really important game and a tough competitor to prepare for no doubt," Lyon added.

"It's unfortunate but we'll work our way through it."

In the meantime, vision of skipper Nick Riewoldt running laps and making good progress in his return from major hamstring surgery should also ease flustered minds.

The superstar forward is often referred to by club insiders as "Saint Nick". Once this latest scandal cools, the Saints, no doubt, hope all of their players can live up to that moniker.