St Kilda hoping for free agency sponsorship boost akin to Geelong and Cotton On: Lyon

Ross Lyon has flagged an off-field recruiting revamp inspired by Geelong’s success with brands like Cotton On as the Saints aim to become a destination club.

Ross Lyon says St Kilda is using sponsors to “create opportunities like Cotton On do for Geelong” as he guarantees the Saints will become a destination club.

In a speech to fans, players and staff as St Kilda launched a new club crest, head coach Lyon said his club was planning to go “really hard” at free agent targets as it completes a four-year drafting strategy, that will include taking two top-10 picks into Wednesday’s draft.

Lyon said sponsors would be tapped to help the club in supporting players as the Saints become hunters of star talent.

Under league rules, the AFL has to sign off third-party agreements, in which any sponsors provide monetary support to players.

St Kilda AFL Coach Ross Lyon speaks on stage during St Kilda’s reveal of a new logo. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Geelong has drawn some ire for the connection major sponsor Cotton On has had to Bailey Smith, but the now ex-Bulldog was signed up as an ambassador with the clothing company well before he became a trade target.

The Cats landed him last month in a trade that cost them draft pick 17 and a swap of other choices.

Geelong has also been under the microscope after sponsor Morris Finance appointed coach Chris Scott as its chief of leadership and performance, with an AFL inquiry still underway.

“Everything we are doing on and off the field with the support of our major sponsors and our private guys are leaning in to create opportunities, like Cotton On do for Geelong,” Lyon said.

“They help the partners, they help the families on and off the field. We are looking to do that with all our support and I can guarantee you we will become more of a destination club.”

St Kilda’s flashiest free agency acquisition was Brad Crouch, signed as a restricted free agent from Adelaide in 2020.

Bailey Smith has a lucrative partnership with Cotton On, which is also a sponsor of Geelong.

The Saints lost Josh Battle to Hawthorn this year but gained pick 8 as compensation, giving the club picks 7 and 8 to use in Wednesday’s draft.

Crouch was delisted late last month on the promise of being taken again in the rookie draft on Friday but Lyon said “we lost him” as the club freed up salary cap space.

Tim Membrey and Seb Ross, along with Battle, were other experienced players to leave the club in the off-season.

“We have made some hard decisions and there have been some tough things occur … unfortunately (Crouch) had a degenerative knee and we would have loved to have him but we lost him and those losses have enabled the salary cap to be freed up,” Lyon said.

“As we finish up with the draft we will really go hard at free agents.”

Lyon told the room of Saints believers that the club had in-depth analytics that tracked age and games played experience as the club aims for its second premiership.

“We are really clear the journey we are on and specifically where we are tracking and if we are on target or not,” he said.

“This draft (on Wednesday) is critical to adding the quality of the list that we need.”

Originally published as St Kilda hoping for free agency sponsorship boost akin to Geelong and Cotton On: Lyon