St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says there’s a disconnect between coaches and players after walloping from the Bulldogs

Two losses by a total in excess of 150 points to a team only on the fringe of the eight has raised some alarm bells for St Kilda.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says there’s was “no magic bullet” to fix the issues plaguing his struggling team as another season threatens to peter out into obscurity.

Lyon suggested there was a “disconnect” between the coaching staff and players when it came to match-day execution after being pummelled by 72 points at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night but the Western Bulldogs.

The Saints have now lost seven of their last nine matches, got well beaten around the contest, were smashed in the territory battle and the result left them in danger of dropping into the bottom four.

“I don’t think anyone in the competition thought we’d be going through undefeated and against someone that’s a premiership contender that, if we’re not on our tucker and we’re slaughtering the ball, we’re not going to have problems,” Lyon said.

“I know where we’re at and what we’re working through. The club’s got a strategic plan with what we’re doing with the list.

“We’re better than what we displayed tonight but they seem to have our number.

The Saints are struggling. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“They’ve got more quality and run deeper, but that’s where we aspire to get to.

“You’ve got to do the work, do the time, and you’ve just got to keep adding talent.

“There’s clubs out there that have been rebuilding six or nine years and they’re starting to get traction now.

“We don’t want it to take that long, but at the minute, that’s where we’re at.”

Lyon said his team should take inspiration from a team like Essendon given they’re not only in a development phase but have also been smashed by injuries all year, yet have performed admirably more often than not despite those obstacles.

“We’re just going to have to work through it,” Lyon said.

“I looked at our draw, I looked at the interstateness [sic] and I understand where we’re at.

“I don’t put the head on the pillow thinking this is going to be a breeze. I know it’s hard.

Coach Ross Lyon says the Saints have a plan. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“We’re going to have to play near our best to be getting across the line and our best players playing well and use the ball better than we did tonight.

“I’m going to have to swallow it, take what comes my way, but you’ve got to work through.”

Lyon conceded there was a “disconnect” between what his coaching staff were teaching the players and how the players were ultimately executing the game plan.

“Tidy up our education and all you can do is train it,” Lyon said.

“We just need to work hard to turn it around. Shoulder to the wheel.

“It’s the unpredictability of what we’re doing so ultimately, I suppose, we’ve got to own that, make sure we all get on the same page under pressure.”

Originally published as St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says there’s a disconnect between coaches and players after walloping from the Bulldogs