Fox Footy Jury: The right coach for GWS, Lance Franklin’s latest setback, Taylor Walker’s future and St Kilda’s finals legitimacy

With Adelaide in rebuild mode and Taylor Walker in the twilight of his career, would another club take a punt on the Crows forward next season? The Fox Footy jury has their say.

Could former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon return to coaching next year? Picture: Getty Images

Greater Western Sydney says it has “made a commitment” to coach Leon Cameron for seasons 2021 and 2022.

But with a contract not yet signed and the Giants continuing to slide down the ladder, would it be in their interests to give former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon a call?

Sydney superstar Lance Franklin will start next season age 34 and having played just 10 games in two years, so can he still be the No.1 man in the forward line?

Plus, should Adelaide’s Taylor Walker see out his contract at Adelaide next year or could he finish his career elsewhere?

And, is St Kilda a contender or pretender this season?

We asked two footy greats with 651 games of AFL experience behind them for their views on all the hot talking points.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Watch every match of every round Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Should Taylor Walker fulfil the final year of his contract in 2021 or is it time Adelaide moved on and played the kids?

Montagna: I still think Taylor Walker’s got some footy left in him, so whether that’s at Adelaide or another club, I don’t know. But I still think he can play for another year or two, absolutely. If Adelaide and Taylor decided that it was time to play the kids and move on, I think at a club that’s a top-eight team and contending I could certainly see him adding to a forward line as a third tall forward.

Johnson: I think he should fulfil the commitment and I think it would be a good move by the Adelaide Crows to keep Tex Walker on the list. It might not be that Tex plays every game next year. But I think having Tex on the list, with his ability to teach and guide the next generation coming through over the next 12, will be important. That’s what Adelaide need because they’re probably not going to win a game this year. So they need experience around the youngsters. I’d be keeping Tex Walker if I was the Crows.

Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker played his 200th game on the weekend. Picture: Getty Images

Should Greater Western Sydney reach out to Ross Lyon about his coaching availability for next year?

Leigh Montagna ( Two-time All-Australian with St Kilda)

No, they shouldn’t. They’ve committed to Leon Cameron so they’ve got to stick to their guns and keep going with Leon and maybe just make some changes to their game style for next season. But I still think Ross is absolutely a good enough coach to be coaching AFL again, whenever that is. Whether it’s next year or in a couple of years, I still think he’s good enough.

Brad Johnson ( Six-time All-Australian with Western Bulldogs)

No, I think Leon Cameron’s a sensational coach. I think he’s really got the ability to take GWS all the way. They’re not playing their best footy collectively at the moment, but I’m sure he’s the man going forward. We know how good they can be and I’m sure Leon has got the ability and the style to get them up.

Should Sydney be trying to retire an injury-plagued Lance Franklin to make way for Joe Daniher?

Montagna: No, they shouldn’t. He’s still got a couple of good years left in him, Buddy. They’ve just got to get his body right. It’s disappointing they haven’t got him out there, but he’s still too good a player to be retiring.

Johnson: A massive ‘NO’. He was going really well pre-Christmas. Yes, he’s had his hiccups again. But I’ve got no doubt the Swans will get him right to finish off his career really strongly.

Lance Franklin won’t play a game in 2020. Picture: Getty Images

Is St Kilda a genuine contender this season or merely a pretender?

Montagna: They’re neither. I don’t think they can challenge the top four or five teams that are really contending to win a flag, but I don’t think they’re pretenders either. They’ve done exceptionally well and they’re a finals team. If they can get to a preliminary final, we know anything’s possible. But my feel is they probably just don’t have the finals experience of some of the other teams like Geelong, West Coast, Brisbane and Richmond. They just need another solid pre-season as a group and working on their game plan.

Johnson: They’re well and truly on the pace. They’ve created the right hype to be in the discussion this year, but we don’t really know the answer because we don’t know whether they can handle pure finals football yet. It’s just the unknown. Max King might kick six in final and surprise us, but we’ll wait and see.

Originally published as Fox Footy Jury: The right coach for GWS, Lance Franklin’s latest setback, Taylor Walker’s future and St Kilda’s finals legitimacy