Time to climb Everest

[saynta]

From the age.com.au


Ross Lyon has declared he has returned to St Kilda with a “blank canvass” to help the club finally conquer football’s equivalent of Mt Everest - delivering an elusive second premiership.

Lyon’s appointment for his second coming as Saints coach, having led the club between 2007-11, was confirmed on Monday, complete with a four-year contract to lift a side that has finished 10th over the past two seasons and last tasted the ultimate success in 1966.

He had been the Saints’ sole focus after the brutal sacking of Brett Ratten less than a fortnight ago, and had met several times with club president Andrew Bassat and chief executive Simon Lethlean.
Back on deck: Ross Lyon has returned to St Kilda as coach for a second stint.

Back on deck: Ross Lyon has returned to St Kilda as coach for a second stint.

“[When] I presented to the board, I got very emotional. When I left, I dropped an iron curtain,” Lyon said of the past week.

“When I spoke about that moment and how I felt about St Kilda, I did get very, very emotional and it sort of unleashed a lot of memories – there were a lot of highs and a lot of lows. But it really validated how I felt about the club, if there was any doubt.

“I feel like I am ready to take the emotional risk and give everything without any guarantee. That guarantees you your best chance – that’s exactly the message to my players. I certainly needed to be in that headspace which drives your work ethic and your desire and your willpower to deliver and work hard.”

There will be further change at Moorabbin, now boasting facilities Lyon equated to “Disneyland” compared to his previous term. Club great Robert Harvey has quit Hawthorn as an assistant coach and will join Lyon in a similar role. Current assistants Lenny Hayes and Corey Enright are safe, and have been tasked with helping to implement a game plan based on speed ahead of the club’s 150th season. David Rath will remain as strategist.

Lyon, 55, was unable to deliver a premiership in his first stint, the Saints falling just short in the 2009 and 2010 grand finals, the latter year famously including a draw with Collingwood.
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He said he admired current Magpies coach Craig McRae, and his mantra of: “let’s get as good as we can as quick as we can”.
Happy days: Ross Lyon said he was put through a “solid” process before taking on the top job.

Happy days: Ross Lyon said he was put through a “solid” process before taking on the top job.Credit:Penny Stephens

“The aim is to build something that is sustainable and a game plan that in the end, we can get to [where we want to] because I don’t like the narrative around St Kilda, I haven’t enjoyed it at all,” Lyon said.

“In my coaching resume, there is unfinished business. Fremantle need to win a flag, this [Saints] since ’66. It’s an Everest that can be climbed, needs to be climbed, and I would like to be the person to do that with the group.”

Lyon said he and the Saints were unified on “philosophies, vision for the club and the important pillars”, and revealed a call from AFL legend Leigh Matthews, arguably the game’s greatest player, and a four-time premiership coach, had also helped.

“He rang me during the week, out of the blue ... ‘How are you?’ He understands it. I shared a little bit,” Lyon said.

“He said, ‘You don’t wake up one day and think I want to coach AFL football.’ Because when you have been through it, you know the highs, you know the lows, you know the challenges. You know the hot seat you are in, you know the expectation. You actually need to be taken on a journey with the people that want to employ you and convince you that all the pillars are there, so then you take that emotional risk.”

Lyon said the Saints had the four key pillars in place – a strong president, chief executive, football department chief in Geoff Walsh, and now himself as coach. Football director Jason Blake, having played under Lyon, was also a key figure in the appointment.

Lyon and Bassat stressed their first conversation had come only after the board meeting when Ratten was sacked. However, Lyon said since his acrimonious departure from the Saints in 2011 he had remained in contact with “influential families around St Kilda” who “always spoke about the romance” of him returning.

“It was never on my radar, but there was one contact where I said, ‘let’s make this very clear,’ because I did learn,” Lyon said.

“Did I make mistakes? No, I think walked into something [in 2011] that was really unpalatable in the end for all parties. So, it was very clear that I enter no discussions, and the words I used were a bit stronger than that, while you have a senior coach.”

Lyon was known as a defensive coach with the Saints and in his almost eight seasons with Fremantle, a club he took to the 2013 grand final. While he believes that reputation is not entirely fair, pointing out his 2009 side was offensively strong, he said rule changes had now encouraged a more attacking manner.

“I think the design of the game has come back to me. The game was stilted, the double guarding of the mark, you had to go around and back and probe. Now you can go, you can play an uptempo brand,” he said.

Ratten’s departure was sparked by a 10-week internal review, with the club expected to release full findings soon.

Lethlean said there was no better person than Lyon to drive the high standards the club craves. Lyon said his contract was similar to a typical “workplace agreement”, suggesting there was no major pay-out should the parties split early, but admitted there was a six-month get-out clause.

Bassat said the review “pointed straight at, if we made the decision that Brett wasn’t going to take us where we needed, the review was pointing straight at Ross Lyon”.



And the best news of the day.



"Club great Robert Harvey has quit Hawthorn as an assistant coach and will join Lyon in a similar role"

[tony74]

You bet mate

[The Fireman]

I’d be happy to get up the you yangs atm

[Yorkeys]

Pick 9, St Kilda, Sherpa Tensing IV.

[Rubyjo]

That was a pretty uncoherent speach but whatever .

[Teflon]

For those interested -

Ross Lyon will overtake GT in round 3 for games coached and will overtake Cho in round 6.

Ross with 121 for the club, GT 123, Cho 126.


Ross has the strongest winning percent of every Saints coach ever with 64.4%

[Munga]

That was a pretty uncoherent speach but whatever .

"Incoherent" and "Speech", but whatever

[The Fireman]

That was a pretty uncoherent speach but whatever .

"Incoherent" and "Speech", but whatever

Pfft

[WellardSaint]

It's hard to believe Harves quit the Hawks.
He would've felt relatively safe there, with all their resources.
Harves must be champing at the bit- his decision would have been discussed at length with Lethlean, Bassat, Blake, as well as his family.

You have to wonder how worried the other clubs are- Harves, Hayes used to dismantle other teams.
Under Ross, in 2009-2010, we had absolutely punished other teams, when our team was on song.

There were games against Carlton where we monstered them and created misery.
There was that game against the Lions where Milne kicked 11 and we won by >100.
There were lots of games where we owned our oppo.
I think there's 17 teams that are currently wondering when our guys will click, and what pain we will inflict on them.
They know King is still finding his feet, he's kicked a few bags and threatened to kick 6 or more but kicked behinds instead.
There will be a fear that our new coaching structure will give him the best chances to be an unstoppable force.

They know that if our team gets in sync, our team will be like a German Tiger tank in WW2 and King will be like the huge gun barrel that will destroy any defence and leave a smoking mess in his wake.

[kosifantutti]

That was a pretty uncoherent speach but whatever .

"Incoherent" and "Speech", but whatever

She's just sticking with the theme of the article which refers to a "blank canvass".

[stkfc1]

It's hard to believe Harves quit the Hawks.
He would've felt relatively safe there, with all their resources.
Harves must be champing at the bit- his decision would have been discussed at length with Lethlean, Bassat, Blake, as well as his family.

You have to wonder how worried the other clubs are- Harves, Hayes used to dismantle other teams.
Under Ross, in 2009-2010, we had absolutely punished other teams, when our team was on song.

There were games against Carlton where we monstered them and created misery.
There was that game against the Lions where Milne kicked 11 and we won by >100.
There were lots of games where we owned our oppo.
I think there's 17 teams that are currently wondering when our guys will click, and what pain we will inflict on them.
They know King is still finding his feet, he's kicked a few bags and threatened to kick 6 or more but kicked behinds instead.
There will be a fear that our new coaching structure will give him the best chances to be an unstoppable force.

They know that if our team gets in sync, our team will be like a German Tiger tank in WW2 and King will be like the huge gun barrel that will destroy any defence and leave a smoking mess in his wake.

I remember a game against Adelaide when they just couldn't get it past their D50 for most of the game as we just monstered them with our structure..Wasn't the players, it was the gameplan.

I cant wait to see the effect it has on the playing group. I think I few will.drop away. I think some will thrive.

Will be fascinating to see the effect on players like Billings, Clark etc to have a coach like Lyon who will demand excellence and will give them a chance to play specific roles.

Lyon will get the best from this group. Hayes and Harvs will be the icing on the cake. Imagine what the effect on the young players like Windhager, Owens, NWM etc having the calibre of these guys around them. I wasn't looking forward to the 23 season.
I'm not expecting miracles nowbut my expectations have definitely risen.