Fremantle coach Ross Lyon immediately turns his attention to Geelong after defeat

DESPITE a 10-goal loss, Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is more concerned with next week's final clash with Geelong.

Ross Lyon

FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon last night rehashed Leigh Matthews' famous "if it bleeds, you can kill it'' line as he immediately shifted his attention to dismantling Geelong in next week's qualifying final.

A grossly undermanned Dockers line-up suffered a 71-point loss to St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but Lyon said he and his players had "moved on pretty quickly'' after the game.

Saints farewell stars in style

Saints trio bid emotional farewell

The major concern for the coach was a right calf injury to Clancee Pearce in the opening minutes of the game that has already ruled the midfielder out of week one of the finals.

The decision to make 11 changes to the team that played last weekend could have left Lyon with egg on his face had the Brisbane Lions upset Geelong at Simonds Stadium in the game being played simultaneously.

A Cats loss would have seen the Dockers snare second spot _ and a home final next week _ with a win of their own.

But Lyon said resting so many players was a risk he was prepared to take.

"Clearly we took it so it was a risk we were comfortable with,'' Lyon said.

"You play the percentages, sometimes it doesn't work your way. There's no right and wrong in this, it's just a value judgement on what's important.''

As the Dockers await AFL confirmation as to when and where their game against the Cats will be played, Lyon said problems getting an early flight out of Perth next Thursday also contributed to the mass-resting of players.

With speculation still that Geelong could host the second versus third clash at Simonds Stadium, Lyon said it would be unfair on his club's fans if they were denied the opportunity to attend the game at a lower-capacity venue.

"What does it hold? 30,000? How many members have (Geelong) got? 40,000? So I wouldn't think there'll be too many tickets floating around for the Dockers,'' Lyon said.

"Outside of that, we're an anywhere, anytime team, we'll go and play. But I suppose at the start of the year you thought if you finished third you wouldn't be playing in a regional centre, you'd be playing in a metropolis at world-class venues. But it's out of my control.''

Asked if Geelong's one-point victory yesterday made them appear any more vulnerable, Lyon responded: ``I like the Leigh Matthews (saying) `if it bleeds, you can kill it'.''

"The pretend season is over and the real one starts,'' he said.

"People have earned the right to have a crack at trying to win a premiership. There's four with a double chance of which we're one of.''

Defender Garrick Ibbotson was one of the 10 inclusions made at selection on Thursday night, but he failed a fitness test on his injured Achilles yesterday morning and was a late withdrawal, as was Chris Mayne.

Lyon said there was no guarantees each of the 11 players who sat out yesterday's game would come back in to the side next week as some of them had ``genuine'' injury concerns.

Doubt was also cast on Luke McPharlin's availability.

The key defender has not played since Round 15 because of a calf injury.

"He'll be up for selection,'' Lyon said.

"Will we pick him? I was always definite to pick him, but then it becomes more mitigating circumstances and (you ask) if it's best for him to play or not. We'll have to answer that question at selection as a match committee because that's a risk.''

Lyon, coach of St Kilda between 2007-11, warmly embraced retiring Saints Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne and Jason Blake on the field after the game.

"I'm the Fremantle coach, but I'm a part of their history so it was nice for me to be able to acknowledge it,'' he said.

"I was disappointed in the fact that we should have been able to play a little bit better, but it was a nice moment.''