St Kilda want to appoint their new senior coach within a fortnight, with Ross Lyon’s long-time lawyer expecting an approach from the club within days.
And the man who gave Lyon his career break and signed him as Saints coach in 2006 says there is no reason why the club and coach cannot forge a new relationship.
Lyon left the Saints in tumultuous circumstances after the 2011 season, when the club and his then manager thought they had agreed to a contract extension, only for Lyon to have done a separate deal with Fremantle.
Saintly intervention: Ross Lyon is the frontrunner to replace Brett Ratten, potentially returning to a club he left in tumultuous circumstances in 2011.Credit:Sebastian Costanzo
However, Lyon, who guided the Saints into grand finals in 2009 and ’10, is still beloved by many players from his time there, including former captain and high-profile commentator Nick Riewoldt, and has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Brett Ratten – should he want the job.
Lyon does not have an agent, but his long-time lawyer John Gdanski, also a friend and confidant of Lyon, and a former Saints board director, said on Saturday that Lyon, who has worked in the media and in business since he left the Dockers, was expected to chat with the Saints this week.
“He has definitely not been approached and, like anyone, is always keen to have a chat. He loves St Kilda … (but) unless there is a particular offer, he is very happy where he is,” Gdanski said.
Rod Butterss says there is no reason why Ross Lyon and the Saints cannot build a new relationship together.Credit:Joe Armao
“Wouldn’t it be great to see the two of them, Lenny (Hayes) and Ross, together again.”
Club great Hayes recently agreed to return as an assistant coach alongside Ratten, the latter blindsided by his shock axing on Thursday. Angry friends of Ratten said on Saturday that he had been “stitched up” by Saints powerbrokers, and there was now no sympathy for a club desperate to be in the premiership mix as soon as next season.
He has definitely not been approached and, like anyone, is always keen to have a chat. He loves St Kilda … (but) unless there is a particular offer, he is very happy where he is.
Lawyer John Gdanski
Sources close to the Saints told The Sunday Age they will ramp up their search within days, and wanted their new coach in place within a fortnight “for sure”, indicating they have their target in mind, and a deal could be brokered even sooner.
The Saints are publicly refusing to discuss potential candidates, but former president Rod Butterss – the man who hired Lyon in 2006 – said that there was no reason why events of the past should shape how the club now views Lyon.
“No doubt – different regime, different time. We all move on. I know Ross is the sort of bloke that doesn’t stare in the rearview (mirror). As Blighty (Malcolm Blight) said to me once: ‘Don’t stare in the rearview mirror, you will end up running into the a … of the car in front of you’,” Butterss said.
Butterss was president between 2001-07, and oversaw the brief hiring and departure of Malcolm Blight in 2001, the appointment of Blight’s successor Grant Thomas in that same season, the sacking of Thomas in 2006, and the appointment of Lyon, when a coaching sub-committee led by Robert Walls endorsed his bid.
“What I could say is that I have the utmost respect for Ross Lyon, in terms of what he has achieved, and the person that he is, and his football IQ,” Butterss said.
“He is intriguing to listen to. He was great to work with and a strong leader and a good bloke. He had that edge that we are here for a single purpose, and let’s get it done.”
As Butterss recalled, that purpose would have been “done” in the 2010 grand final against Collingwood “but for an act of God, that ball bouncing left when it should have bounced into Milney’s (Stephen Milne’s) hand.”
Lyon also led the Dockers into the 2013 grand final, losing to Hawthorn, before he was sacked in 2019.
The Saints want their new coach to have a “ruthless” edge, having unearthed “troubling” findings, according to president Andrew Bassat, in their club review, which will soon have some details released publicly.
Lyon pulled out of the race for the vacant Carlton job last year, when the Blues decided to run a proper process, and had been linked to the recent Essendon role, before declaring again that he would not submit to a full interview process.
Brendon Goddard, the former Saint and Essendon captain, said Lyon would have been the perfect fit for the Bombers – that job going to Brad Scott.
What is clear is that Lyon is known for his ruthless edge, and would bring a hardened on-field defensive philosophy, although the game has become more attacking since his last year with the Dockers.
Ross Lyon in Fremantle purple in 2016.Credit:Getty Images
Lyon’s career coaching record sits at 172 wins, 128 defeats and five draws across his stints with the Saints and Dockers.
Along with Lyon, Melbourne assistant Adem Yze, former Essendon coach James Hird and Western Bulldogs mentor Luke Beveridge – the latter about to begin contract renegotiations – have also been linked to the Saints’ role.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
