AFL 2024: St Kilda focused on ‘problem-solving’ after Ross Lyon outburst

A St Kilda star says it’s on the Saints’ senior players to lift as he addressed Ross Lyon’s unusual post-game comments on Saturday.

St Kilda star Bradley Hill says he wants to finish his career at Moorabbin and still sees promise in the Saints’ list as “stagnant” ball movement hampers them on the field.

Hill said his side’s on-field issues were as much the players’ fault as coach Ross Lyon’s as the Saints slumped to 14th place with a 3-6 record after losing to Hawthorn in Launceston.

Lyon hit out after the game at AFL restrictions on runners which he claimed had made coaches “like neutered dogs” when games were on the line, but Hill said it was also on senior players to spread messages and identify problems to be solved on the field.

“I feel like Ross is taking a lot of that blame … us as players definitely should have a bit more of a role there, especially as older players,” he said.

“We need to be better as players out there. We need to be able to know what’s going wrong and being able to fix it.

“I think just our ball movement and stuff has been a little bit frustrating and a little bit stagnant – it’s not the way we want to play.”

Bobby Hill (left) and Bradley Hill in Collingwood and St Kilda’s Indigenous jumpers ahead of Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which spans two weekends beginning on Thursday night with the clash between Sydney and Carlton. Picture: Dylan Burns / Getty Images

Hill, who was previously linked with a trade to a fourth club late in the 2022 season but stayed on at St Kilda, said he was on the brink of signing a new deal to remain at the club and had no interest in moving elsewhere.

“I think it’s just getting it all signed off and whatnot, talking my manager to get all his stuff (done), but on my end I just (want) to get it all ticked off and approved,” he said.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else. I’ve probably had a few clubs already … I’m loving it at St Kilda, I think we’ve got a bright future. There’s a lot of young talent coming through and I’m pretty excited to see where the club can go.”

The Saints wingman enjoyed posing for photos with his cousin, Collingwood’s Bobby Hill, at the MCG launch of Sir Doug Nicholls Round on Monday.

“It keeps on growing every year and it’s a special round for us. It’s awesome that it goes over two rounds, you get the home game and away game which is pretty awesome, all us boys love it,” he said.

“Non-Indigenous people can sort of learn a little bit about our history and our story – it’s a great round and one of the ones I always look forward to.”

Originally published as AFL 2024: St Kilda focused on ‘problem-solving’ after Ross Lyon outburst