AFL 2025: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon on why ‘dirty ball’ is the key to beating GWS
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says it will take a collective effort and “dirty ball” to slow down a star-studded GWS Giants.
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St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says his side must force GWS to deliver “dirty ball” inside 50 if it’s to restrict the Giants’ dangerous forward line.
The in-form Saints take on the Giants at the narrow Norwood Oval on Sunday afternoon in an important test for Lyon’s men.
When asked how he would navigate Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan, fresh off a nine-goal haul against West Coast, Lyon rattled off 11 Giants who were keeping him busy.
Lyon eventually said it would come down to how well his defenders were looked after with pressure up the ground.
“Yeah, he’s (Hogan) not a bad player, but they’ve got a lot; Stringer is pretty handy, Cadman, Coniglio, Kelly, Green, Ward, Ash, Buckley, Taylor, Briggs,” he said.
“It’s about system and effort and you could have David Dench down there, you know, you’ve got to put pressure on the ball. If it’s coming in clean, it’ll be difficult.
“He’ll (Hogan) have his moments. Last week Georgiades (Port Adelaide) had a lot of moments as well, we just got to keep working hard and stay in the moment.”
All-Australian defender Callum Wilkie is the likely match up for Hogan.
Lyon said Wilkie had given himself every chance to keep the goalkicker quiet but echoed the significance of “dirty ball”.
“He’s good at his craft, he trains every session. I think since I have been here he’s only missed one session,” he said.
“Young players, if you want to be a good player, get on the track, right? He’s got great craft, great bodywork, a lot goes into making great players.
“He’s courageous, got great skill, but again he needs some dirty ball in. It’s a complementary team, everyone needs to help.
“Everyone gets beaten. It’s a game of continuous failures, you’ve got to just keep getting on and look for some good moments.”
Originally published as AFL 2025: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon on why ‘dirty ball’ is the key to beating GWS
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