AFL news: St Kilda chief executive responds after Ross Lyon cops backlash over 'brutal' footage
St Kilda chief executive Carl Dilena has defended coach Ross Lyon after describing eye-opening footage of his spray towards the playing group as akin to a parent disciplining their children. Fan footage emerged of Lyon ripping into his players on the St Kilda bench at quarter time, paying particular attention to Hugo Garcia. He subsequently benched the 19-year-old during the second quarter of Saturday night's 45-point loss to AFL premiers Brisbane.
Critics such as AFL commentator Kate McCarthy and journalist Josh Gabelich described it as "brutal" treatment of a young player, with the former suggesting Lyon's angry tirade would have been better directed at a senior player, such as skipper Jack Steele. "He's pointed the finger at Hugo Garcia for not playing the 'stay forward' mid. But in the first quarter, Lachie Neale's direct opponent was Jack Steele - the captain of the club - and he allowed Neale to waltz into an open goal and kick the first goal of the game," McCarthy said on 'The Round So Far'.
St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena has defended coach Ross Lyon after he was seen spraying Hugo Garcia on the bench during Saturday night's loss to Brisbane. Image: Getty/St Kilda TV
"For me, if you're sending a message, it's a player like that you send a message through, not a 16-gamer who's still learning the ropes. If you don't want to play him or give him the opportunity to learn from his mistakes, don't play him... roasting a player on the bench before quarter-time and subbing him out in the second quarter is not going to help a player learn. It's going to send them the other way."
Ross Lyon's spray for players divides AFL world
Others, such as dual-premiership Kangaroos legend David King and St Kilda great Leigh Montagna defended the actions of Lyon and said he was right to be furious with the cheap manner in which his players were giving up possession of the footy. 'They just coughed up the ball far too easily - that's your main man in the midfield, Jack Steele, who I would give a spell to (in the VFL) if he's going to continue to do that sort of stuff,' King said on Fox Footy.
Ross gives a shit and certainly hates losing. This is a long journey but this is the most animated he's been since he came back to Moorabbin. pic.twitter.com/keDrNH2ovK
— Saints TV (@saintstvpod) April 26, 2025
'I think you need to make a statement; we've seen it around the league at the moment, and unfortunately for marquee players, it's worked. You can't just be nice Ross all the time. And I think selection is the ultimate leveller. You've got to make a statement as a team.'
ADVERTISEMENT
Montagna added: 'He (Lyon) gave the spray, he didn't get the response he wanted during the second quarter, so he had to make a statement. I don't necessarily agree that young Hugo Garcia was a scapegoat; (Lyon) just had to change something. He had to take someone off and try to mix it up. That was the way that he went.'
St Kilda CEO defends Ross Lyon over angry tirade
Fronting the media to discuss the issue on Monday, Saints CEO Dilena agreed that Lyon needed to show some tough love to his players, and denied suggestions he went too far after likening it to a parent lecturing his kids. "I'll just make a personal comment - I love that aspect," Dilena said.
"Anyone who's been a parent and has dealt with kids, you can cuddle them and nurture them as much as you like, but occasionally there might be a couple of stern words that go in there as well. Ross is an experienced coach. He's just driven to get the absolute best out of our players and raise the standards of our club.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon directed an angry tirade at his players during the 45-point loss to AFL premiers Brisbane. Pic: Getty
"He'd been very tolerant and been very cuddly for a while. For him to occasionally come out and just give someone a bake, I think that's good." The Saints rallied to get within 17 points in the third quarter, before defending premiers Brisbane ran over the top of them to inflict a third consecutive loss.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's a bit of a bumpy road. We always knew it would be a bit up and down," Dilena added. "You don't have that sort of straight-line, linear progression towards improvement. And so you do go through moments, like we are at the moment, where it's a bit frustrating and you think we're not performing to what we should be doing.
"Early in the season we had some great wins against Geelong and Port, and that really set the tone, but it also raises the expectations." St Kilda will hope to get their season back on track when they take on Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Friday.
with AAP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bomber faces match review scrutiny for high bump
Essendon onballer Sam Durham is facing AFL suspension for what has been criticised as his "black-and-white" high bump on Carlton opponent Adam Cerra. There was also plenty of commentary on Saturday night about why the Blues took so long to take Cerra off the ground for a concussion assessment after the incident. Cerra was left with a black eye after his collision with Durham early in the second term of the 11.12 (78) to 11.4 (70) win to the Blues at the MCG. The Carlton midfielder was bent over contesting a ground ball when Durham, also low to the ground, collected Cerra with a heavy bump. While a doctor went onto the ground to check Cerra, it was another 14 minutes before the player was taken off for a concussion assessment. He was cleared and played out the game. Michael Voss and Brad Scott have addressed Sam Durham's bump on Adam Cerra.#AFLBluesDons — AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2025 "We probably took quite a cautious approach and did the HIA (head injury assessment), so we followed that through," Carlton coach Michael Voss said. "I would have thought the incident is more the conversation for me. "It's pretty black-and-white - you just can't do that any more. "He (Cerra) seems fine ... but this is one part of ongoing checks for the player." Durham was among Essendon's best as they recovered from a poor start to pile the pressure on Carlton. But he is certain to come under match review scrutiny for the Cerra bump. "It will be what it will be ... there's nothing I can do about it," said Essendon coach Brad Scott. "Imagine being a player now ... I understand all the challenges in the game around health and safety, but players probably have a more difficult job now in terms of duty of care to their opponents than they've ever had. "Durham is a 'go ahead'-type player and as hard at the ball as anyone, and that's really what we encourage him and our players to do."
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
'We went safe' admits Eagles coach after latest loss
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says his players need to become more vulnerable and open to risk if they are to learn how to win close games. The Eagles overcame a woeful afternoon in front of goal to lead North Melbourne by 18 points early in the final quarter of Sunday's match in Bunbury. But with victory in sight, they imploded from that point on, committing a host of costly errors as North Melbourne stormed home with the final four goals to snatch a 10-point win. The result left West Coast in last spot with a 1-12 record - two wins adrift of their nearest rivals Richmond. It was also the third close game West Coast have lost this season, following two-point defeats to Essendon and Richmond. Cam IN FRONT!#AFLNorthEagles — AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2025 McQualter feels his players went into their shells when the game was there to be won. "We're going through this little period at the moment where we're clearly playing better football, but we need to learn how to win," McQualter said. "We need to be able to put those games away. "We need to keep being really vulnerable and open about our thoughts and the feelings we have in those moments. "When you're in that position at three-quarter time, you need to keep attacking the game. "I felt like we went safe. We went away from what we had done and it just fuelled North's game. "We need to be able to lean into those moments. You need to look forward to those moments as a player, rather than trying to save the game." McQualter wants to use the club's latest heartbreaking loss as a significant teaching point. "Our players want to win, but we've just got to teach them how," he said. "Sometimes it's just by, 'You don't have to do more'. "Sometimes people try and throw the team on their back and try and do it all themselves, and it's very rare that it happens like that. "We'll use those moments in the last quarter as education points and ensure that we just have to get better." Brockman bobs up in the pocket to get the Eagles going in the final term.#AFLNorthEagles — AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2025 West Coast's horror goalkicking came back to bite them. The Eagles had 1.13 to their name by midway through the third quarter before finally finding their groove. But their inability to apply significant scoreboard pressure earlier in the match proved costly, with North storming home to grab the 9.8 (62) to 5.16 (52) win. "It can be a bit contagious, that's for real," McQualter said of the inaccuracy. "We were 1.11 at one stage. It breaks your heart." McQualter heaped special praise on defender Harry Edwards, who kept star North Melbourne forward Nick Larkey scoreless from 11 disposals. West Coast will be back in action on Sunday when they host Carlton at Optus Stadium.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kangaroos keen to muscle in on footy-mad WA
North Melbourne want to become Western Australia's third-favourite team, and coach Alastair Clarkson hopes the club's rich Sandgroper history will help make it a happy marriage with fans. The Kangaroos' three-year deal to sell two games a season to WA got off to the perfect start on Sunday when they beat West Coast by 10 points in Bunbury. North Melbourne will "host" Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, with each game the club has sold to WA worth a reported $1m. The contract helps replace the deal North Melbourne previously had with Tasmania, and coach Alastair Clarkson says WA is a good fit for his club. Cam IN FRONT!#AFLNorthEagles — AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2025 "We have seven or eight West Australians on our list," Clarkson said. "Historically our club has had a strong link - Brownlow medallist in Ross Glendinning, the Krakouer magic of Jimmy and Phil and many others. "Our connection to the west has been strong. "To get an opportunity to play some home games here - it has been such a fertile football state in terms of their passion for AFL footy. "It seems for the state two teams aren't enough, so we've provided them with the third team, and we're happy to do so." The Kangaroos will host one game a year in Bunbury and the other one at Optus Stadium. Sunday's match at Hands Oval attracted a sell-out crowd of 12,715 fans and was the first time an AFL regular-season game had been played in regional WA. The deal appears to create a win-win situation, with North Melbourne receiving vital funds, and West Coast and Fremantle being able to play an extra game in WA, without their usual rigours of travelling to eastern states. "With Tassie (the new club in Tasmania) coming in, we had to find another base to provide us with the opportunity to have a nice, happy marriage," Clarkson said. "We get paid some money to play games here, but we love coming here and fostering relationships with people in the south west. "There are a lot of locals here and a lot came from Perth - Eagles fans - and there are a stack that have jumped on planes that must please Tourism WA, who made the significant investment in getting North to come here and play games of footy." SIMPKIN SEALS IT 🫡#AFLNorthEagles — AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2025 The Kangaroos trailed by 18 points in the last quarter before kicking the final four goals of the match to snatch the 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52) win. It means North Melbourne, with three wins and a draw to their name, are now two-and-a-half wins clear of wooden spoon favourites West Coast (1-12). Kangaroos defender Charlie Comben was sent off for scans after sustaining a knee to the back in the third quarter.
