{"id":71733,"date":"2025-02-24T10:30:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T00:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=71733"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:30:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T00:30:06","slug":"ross-lyon-is-ready-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2025\/02\/ross-lyon-is-ready-to-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Ross Lyon is Ready to Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before this year, you understood life&#8217;s three certainties: death, taxes, and boring Ross Lyon football.<\/p>\n<p>What if one of those doesn\u2019t apply anymore?<\/p>\n<p>Would that destabilise you, like you\u2019re NATO after a Trump press conference? Would it render your whole life a lie?<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t rule it out.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1893049101006315862&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F02%2Fross-lyon-is-ready-to-change%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While you\u2019re thinking about it how you might react to one of the most certain pillars in existence perishing, have a look at the St Kilda list.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a dour stars and scrubs team like Ross had in his first stint at the Saints or at Fremantle.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s actually a list full of young and enterprising athletes who could do the impossible and make me want to watch the Saints. This would be a shift from my usual Saints footy watching habits, where I consider which kitchen utensil would be most effective for removing my eyes (long teaspoon).<\/p>\n<p>Nas Wanganeen-Milera, Cooper Sharman, Max King, Mitch Owens, Darcy Wilson, Liam Henry, Mattaes Phillipou, Hugo Garcia, and Anthony Caminiti are all under 25 and are all, to varying degrees, good athletes and somewhat exciting footballers. Crucially, they\u2019re all avenues to goal whether by scoring themselves or setting up teammates.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1860855385537794488&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F02%2Fross-lyon-is-ready-to-change%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re not just Clint Jones types.<\/p>\n<p>These players are a red wine jus to the meat and potatoes established players like Cal Wilkie, Jack Sinclair, Rowan Marshall and Jack Steele.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1683037687215783936&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F02%2Fross-lyon-is-ready-to-change%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Ross knows that to win in modern footy, you need to score. He also must know that across his 15 completed seasons as an AFL head coach, his teams have finished better than seventh for total points once.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s making an effort to fix that on a team-building level.<\/p>\n<p>While the Saints were still an elite defensive unit last year, giving up the third fewest points in footy on the season, they had a few games where they showed a willingness to attack games.<\/p>\n<p>The one that sticks out most and seems to have brought about the most change is the Saints round 14 loss to Brisbane.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brisbane Lions v St Kilda Highlights | Round 14, 2024 | AFL\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M3Haus2CHhA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In that game, the Saints scored the second most points they scored on the season from the back half because they showed an appetite to attack the corridor.<\/p>\n<p>While necessity was probably the mother of invention in that game because of Brisbane\u2019s hot start, something shifted after that.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lyon shares where the game got away I St Kilda Saints Press Conference I Fox Footy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/el6SDtHndEY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Over their last 10 matches for the season, Ross\u2019 Saints scored over 90 points four times and over 100 three times. In their previous 13 games, the Saints scored over 90 twice and over 100 just once against North Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>In the whole of the 2023 season, the Saints scored over 90 as many times as they did in the final 10 games of 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Over that period, the Saints were second in footy in marks inside 50 and led the league in mark inside 50 rate.<\/p>\n<p>They were second in the league, behind only Hawthorn, at scoring off turnover. They scored about eight more points per game from turnover over the last 10 games of the season compared to their season average.<\/p>\n<p>Over those games, they stuck to their bread and butter which is getting a turnover deep in their back line and working the ball out methodically from there, sitting third in footy in back half scoring at about the same rate as they did the whole season. They also led the league in marks.<\/p>\n<p>The shift was in style. They had about five fewer handball receives over the 10 game period, trusting their kicking game to be more aggressive and push the pace rather than relying on overlap run. It was Brisbane-lite.<\/p>\n<p>The other interesting point is that they dialled up their forward half game significantly.<\/p>\n<p>Across the season, the Saints were the worst team in the AFL for forward half scoring with 31 points per game.<\/p>\n<p>They were a points worse than West Coast.<\/p>\n<p>Over the final 10 games, they cranked it up. They kicked an extra goal a game from the forward half over that period, good for thirteenth. Bob Dylan isn\u2019t likely to write a song about that revolution, but there is value in going from terrible to average.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, they kicked an 1.5 more goals on 1.5 more shots per game over the final 10 games compared to the full year.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1827616033588277734&#038;dnt=true&#038;lang=en_AU&#038;width=500&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.neds.com.au%2Fblog%2F2025%2F02%2Fross-lyon-is-ready-to-change%2F\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" style=\"border:0;\" title=\"X Post\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Saints also didn\u2019t lose what makes Ross, Ross. They were still a top-5 scoring defence.<\/p>\n<p>It was different but the same.<\/p>\n<p>That final 10 games showed that Ross is preparing, just a bit, to play against type. Last year was Ross\u2019 version Matthew McConaughey edging toward being a serious actor in The Lincoln Lawyer.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lincoln Lawyer   Whose side ae you on\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7z6oGlFssFg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This year should be Ross\u2019 Dallas Buyers Club, where he announces himself as a man who has pivoted but has kept the same DNA.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b><i>Like what you read from our hard-hitting columnist?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b><i>Follow\u00a0<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/guywholikesspo1\"><b><i>@Guywholikessport<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>\u00a0on Twitter or check out his\u00a0<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/guywholikessport.wixsite.com\/guywholikessport\"><b><i>FULL BLOG HERE\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before this year, you understood life&#8217;s three certainties: death, taxes, and boring Ross Lyon football. What if one of those doesn\u2019t apply anymore? Would that destabilise you, like you\u2019re NATO after a Trump press conference? Would it render your whole life a lie? Don\u2019t rule it out. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has spoken passionately about his club\u2019s bid to establish themselves as a power club in Victoria, rather than sell home games interstate.\u270d\ufe0f @ClarkyHeraldSun READ \ud83d\udc49 https:\/\/t.co\/7gNkrFBfH1 pic.twitter.com\/bK22ezQpvG&mdash; SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) February 21, 2025 While you\u2019re thinking about it how you might react to one of the most certain&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":71734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8298,344],"tags":[29,9778,1329,8260,3094,1561,4311,9974,1145,2646],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-71733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australian-rules","category-guywholikessport","category-sports","tag-afl","tag-afl-2025","tag-australian-rules","tag-guywholikessport","tag-opinion","tag-ross-lyon","tag-saints","tag-saints-footy","tag-st-kilda","tag-st-kilda-saints"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":null,"md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"24\/02\/2025","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71733"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=71733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}