AFL 2022: Ross Lyon firming as next St Kilda coach after the sacking of Brett Ratten

Saints president Andrew Bassat hasn’t wasted time laying down the criteria to get the coach the club has identified as what it needs after moving on Brett Ratten.

Ross Lyon says he's take a call from his former club.

Former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon looms large to make a shock comeback to Moorabbin after the Saints sensationally sacked Brett Ratten.

Lyon, 55, has worked in commercial property and football media since he departed the Dockers in 2019 and is open to taking a phone call from the Saints.

President Andrew Bassat said on Friday the Saints knew exactly what they needed in their eighth coach this century and it’s believed they have earmarked Lyon for the job.

“We don’t yet have the winning culture or ruthless commitment to football excellence that we need,” Bassat said.

“It became clear that we needed to have a new senior coach with a new style of leadership and a new voice.

“We have a very clear view about what we need. I want the members to know that we’ll get the right coach for this club.”

Ross Lyon has plenty of support down at St Kilda.

Ratten pleaded his case this week but was told at 6pm on Thursday that the two-year contract he signed only months ago would be torn up.

Lyon has strong supporters at the club pushing hard for his return although chief executive Simon Lethlean was adamant on Friday a replacement had not been lined up.

“Between Andrew and myself and the board we’ve uncovered what we need, and our members need to know we will be swift and decisive and go and find the coach we need,” Lethlean said.

“We know what we want to get, we know the characteristics we’re after and we’re going to go to the market to find it.

“We were not going to have dialogue with anyone until there’s a vacancy. There’s vacancy now.”

Bassat said the Saints needed to get ruthless after only one finals appearance over the past 11 seasons and one premiership in 149 years.

Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Ross Lyon’s strong leadership style and ability to attract total buy-in from his players has been lauded by his former players.

He added: “The idea of trying to sign a contract with anyone else just didn’t seem appropriate” while Ratten was still technically in the chair — but said they would start the search immediately after Friday’s 11.30am press conference.

“There’s a big gap between where we are now and where we want to be,” Bassat said.

Western Bulldogs premiership coach Luke Beveridge has also been flagged as a potential candidate, despite having one year to run on his contract at the kennel.

But Lyon is likely to be the No.1 target.

The club may have to twist his arm to take the job as Lyon has repeatedly said he is happy out of coaching and has knocked back interest from Carlton, Essendon and an offer from Chris Scott to join Geelong’s coaching staff in the past 18 months.

St Kilda is likely to headhunt a replacement for Ratten rather than run a lengthy process.

Bassat is known to be a big fan of Lyon’s along with Saints’ director Jason Blake and new midfield coach Lenny Hayes.

Blake and Hayes played under Lyon while there was a strong push mid-season for St Kilda to make a play for the man who took the club to three grand finals.

Lyon’s strong leadership style and ability to attract total buy-in from his players has been lauded by his former players over a coaching career, which yielded a 57 per cent winning record.

His team played finals in four of his five years in charge at St Kilda before he was poached by Fremantle in dramatic circumstances in 2011 and took them to the premiership decider in 2013.

St Kilda football director Jaon Blake played under Lyon, while there was a strong push midseason from St Kilda to make a play for the man who took the club to three grand finals..

Lyon coached the Saints from 2007 to 2011, including taking the Saints to the grand Final in 2009 and 2010, before quitting to join Fremantle.

He led the Dockers from 2012-2019.

Bassat said the club needed a “different style of leadership and a different voice”

WHO’S IN THE FRAME FOR NEXT SAINTS COACH?

—Simeon Thomas-Wilson

Brett Ratten has been sacked by St Kilda just months after signing a new two year contract. So the question facing the Saints is, who will be their next senior coach?Former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas says the Saints need to go for a “premiership coach or someone you know who can deliver a premiership” such as Luke Beveridge after the surprise sacking of Brett Ratten.

When asked who he thought should be the Saints coach, Thomas said “you’d either want a premiership coach or someone you know can deliver a premiership”.

I’m a very passionate Luke Beveridge fan,” Thomas said.

“I’d be doing everything I could to exit him out of there and bring him home, if you like. I think he would be perfect.

“I would absolutely give James Hird a good tryout. I’m maybe only a little bit anti-AFL in doing that, but I think James has got great credentials.

“I don’t know who Choco Williams has offended but I’m glad he’s offended someone, so I’d give him an opportunity and a look.

“Ross Lyon is obviously a highly-credentialed coaching candidate.”

Ross Lyon wasn’t greeted warmly when he returned to St Kilda as Fremantle coach.

Lenny Hayes is a favourite son of St Kilda, could he be the next senior coach too? Picture: Glenn Hunt

Does James Hird want to be an AFL coach or just the Essendon coach? Picture: Getty Images

From review to senior coach? It’s happened before at the Saints but could David Noble make it happen again? Picture: Getty Images