Latest news with #Dilena
The Age
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Age
Demons have finally found their next CEO; Blues key back to have surgery; North star to fight ban
The process has been extensive, with a large number of potential candidates contacted to determine their interest in the role. Establishing a training and administration base at Caulfield will be a priority for the new CEO as the club looks to develop a home inside the track. He will also need to lead cultural change at the club after years of unwanted headlines that led to below-par performances last season and hinder their chances to repeat their premiership success in 2021. The club has not won a final after that drought breaking victory, and has experienced turmoil with key players close to leaving the club at various times. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry opted not to comment when contacted. Cuddly Ross no more – Saints boss backs Lyon spray Jon Pierik St Kilda chief executive Carl Dilena has taken the rare step of turning the heat on the Saints, and has backed Ross Lyon's decision to shed his cuddly cape. The Saints have slipped to 13th on the ladder and are under growing pressure to remain in touch with the top eight heading into Friday night's clash with Fremantle at Marvel Stadium. An impressive three wins from four games to start the season, including a stirring victory over Geelong, has made way for three straight defeats, the latest a lethargic 45-point loss to the Brisbane Lions when Lyon gave his team a verbal bake at quarter-time, and was again vocal in his post-match address. When it comes to the bigger picture, the Saints have a win-loss record of 27-27 under Lyon, now in his third season of his second stint at the club, with frustration intensifying. While launching the annual Spud's Game, against Carlton, on Monday, Dilena, a former Fitzroy and North Melbourne player, admitted it was a frustrating time at Moorabbin. Loading 'It's a bit of a bumpy road, I think. We always knew it would be up and down, you don't have that straight-line, linear progression towards improvement. So you do go through moments like we are, at the moment, where it is a bit frustrating, and you think we are not performing to what we should be,' Dilena said. '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, [and] then you have a down week. We have hit some pretty strong opposition. 'I think we are getting beaten up in the midfield battle, not getting the ball going our way, and that's being reflected in getting some pretty extreme inside-50 counts the last couple of weeks. We have got to turn that around, we have got to start winning the ball, and fixing up our defence, which has been a bit leaky.' Saturday's loss was the first time since Lyon returned to Moorabbin that the Saints had conceded more than 100 points for three weeks in a row. Lyon's frustration was evident when he made a bold, early call and subbed off Hugo Garcia, 19, in the second term and replaced him with veteran Zak Jones. Fan footage later emerged of Lyon giving Garcia and Ryan Byrnes an almighty spray on the bench, particularly towards Garcia. Loading Dilena said Lyon was within his rights to have taken aim at Garcia. 'Personally, I would just make a personal comment – I love that aspect,' Dilena said. 'Anyone that has been a parent and has dealt with kids, you can cuddle them and nurture them as much as you like, but occasionally, occasionally, there might be a couple of stern words that go in there as well. 'Ross is an experienced coach. He is just driven to get the absolute best out of our players, and raise the standards of our club. For him, being very tolerant and very cuddly for a while – for him to occasionally come out and give someone a bake, I think that is good.' Lyon's decision to activate his substitute so early – he later said during a prickly press conference that he 'pulled the sub to get something done' – ultimately meant the Saints were a man short on the interchange when Mason Wood was concussed late in the game. Injured defender Zaine Cordy, who did not play on Saturday and was not in the team meeting, praised Lyon for showing 'that he cares and wants us to do well'. 'We have got certain expectations, we probably haven't been living up to them,' Cordy, nursing a pectoral injury, said. While Lyon, a four-time grand final coach, said he knows what the 'promised land' looks like, the Saints are mired in the middle rungs of the ladder. They have been rebuffed in their attempts to snare established rival talent, including Jacob Weitering, Finn Callaghan, Jordan De Goey, Zach Merrett and Luke Davies-Uniacke. They have a reported whopping $1.7 million per season deal before Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning, although veteran club recruiters Stephen Silvagni and Graeme Allan have, even internally, attempted to keep their plans a closely guarded secret, apart from acknowledging they have considerable cap space to work with. Dilena said the Saints would continue to pursue elite talent. 'All clubs, including ourselves, are in the market all the time looking for talent to bring in – we have made no secret of that,' he said. 'We will keep doing what we can to bring as much talent as we can to the club.' Blues star Cerra banned, North fight Curtis suspension AAP Carlton will lose midfielder Adam Cerra for one match, while North Melbourne will head to the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night to challenge a three-game suspension handed to forward Paul Curtis. Cerra had collected Geelong player Jack Bowes high in the third quarter of Carlton's 18-point win at the MCG on Sunday. The incident was graded as intentional conduct, low-impact and high contact, resulting in a one-game suspension handed down on Monday. Carlton teammates George Hewett and Jack Silvagni and Geelong star Jeremy Cameron were handed fines for careless contact with an umpire, while Lachlan Fogarty was handed a financial sanction for tripping. Meanwhile, Curtis is expected to face the tribunal on Tuesday night to fight his ban for rough conduct. Curtis tackled Port Adelaide defender Josh Sinn in the second quarter of the Kangaroos' nine-point loss, pinning his opponent's arms from behind. With Sinn suffering a concussion, Curtis's tackle was graded as severe impact, high contact and careless conduct. The forward is currently ruled out of the games against Essendon, Brisbane and Richmond. Silvagni set for surgery Peter Ryan Carlton defender Jack Silvagni will have surgery after suffering a broken hand in Sunday's win over Geelong. The 27-year-old showed courage to play through the injury, which was sustained in the first quarter. He spent time in the rooms receiving treatment before returning to the field to play a crucial role in the win. His bravery also allowed the Blues to keep their rotations going after they lost Zac Williams to a calf injury at quarter-time. A competition source, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed Silvagni's injury, with the timeline for his return unclear, although early indications are that he will not be sidelined for an extended period. Key forward Harry McKay praised Silvagni, who has been a revelation in defence in 2025, after Sunday's match.
Daily Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
AFL 2025; Ross Lyon gets tick for player spray from St Kilda CEO
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena has given coach Ross Lyon's volatile player spray on Saturday the tick of approval declaring you can only 'cuddle' players so much. Lyon gave his players a blast during and after Saturday's loss to the Brisbane Lions. Video of Lyon berating players on the bench went viral across the weekend and the veteran coach confirmed that he gave players an 'animated' dressing down in the aftermath of the 45-point loss. Young midfielder Hugo Garcia bore the brunt of a Lyon exchange after he was subbed out early in the second term but Dilena, talking to the media on Monday ahead of the club's annual 'Spud's Game' which advocates for positive mental health, said he had no issue with Lyon. '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. 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.' Ross Lyon, Senior Coach of the Saints . Picture: Michael Klein After winning three games in a row, including impressive wins over Geelong and Port Adelaide on the road, the Saints have now lost three in a row, including a 71-point smashing by the Western Bulldogs before losing to the reigning premiers at Marvel Stadium. Dilena said it's been a 'bumpy road' and expectations had been raised by everyone at the club. 'It's a bit of a bumpy road. We always knew it would be a bit up and down,' Dilena said. '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 play Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Friday, before hosting Spud's Game against Carlton at the MCG on Friday, May 9. Originally published as St Kilda CEO gives Ross Lyon the green light for full-on bench spray delivered to young gun on the bench
Sky News AU
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Sky News AU
AFL 2025; Ross Lyon gets tick for player spray from St Kilda CEO
A volatile player spray handed out by St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has been put in the spotlight but the club CEO has no problems with it. St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena has given coach Ross Lyon's volatile player spray on Saturday the tick of approval declaring you can only 'cuddle' players so much. Lyon gave his players a blast during and after Saturday's loss to the Brisbane Lions. Video of Lyon berating players on the bench went viral across the weekend and the veteran coach confirmed that he gave players an 'animated' dressing down in the aftermath of the 45-point loss. Young midfielder Hugo Garcia bore the brunt of a Lyon exchange after he was subbed out early in the second term but Dilena, talking to the media on Monday ahead of the club's annual 'Spud's Game' which advocates for positive mental health, said he had no issue with Lyon. 'I'll just make a personal comment - I love that aspect,' Dilena said. — (@AFLcomau) April 27, 2025 '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. 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.' After winning three games in a row, including impressive wins over Geelong and Port Adelaide on the road, the Saints have now lost three in a row, including a 71-point smashing by the Western Bulldogs before losing to the reigning premiers at Marvel Stadium. Dilena said it's been a 'bumpy road' and expectations had been raised by everyone at the club. 'It's a bit of a bumpy road. We always knew it would be a bit up and down,' Dilena said. '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 play Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Friday, before hosting Spud's Game against Carlton at the MCG on Friday, May 9. Originally published as St Kilda CEO gives Ross Lyon the green light for full-on bench spray delivered to young gun on the bench
Sydney Morning Herald
28-04-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Demons have finally found their next CEO; Blues key back to have surgery; North star to fight ban
The process has been extensive, with a large number of potential candidates contacted to determine their interest in the role. Establishing a training and administration base at Caulfield will be a priority for the new CEO as the club looks to develop a home inside the track. He will also need to lead cultural change at the club after years of unwanted headlines that led to below-par performances last season and hinder their chances to repeat their premiership success in 2021. The club has not won a final after that drought breaking victory, and has experienced turmoil with key players close to leaving the club at various times. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry opted not to comment when contacted. Cuddly Ross no more – Saints boss backs Lyon spray Jon Pierik St Kilda chief executive Carl Dilena has taken the rare step of turning the heat on the Saints, and has backed Ross Lyon's decision to shed his cuddly cape. The Saints have slipped to 13th on the ladder and are under growing pressure to remain in touch with the top eight heading into Friday night's clash with Fremantle at Marvel Stadium. An impressive three wins from four games to start the season, including a stirring victory over Geelong, has made way for three straight defeats, the latest a lethargic 45-point loss to the Brisbane Lions when Lyon gave his team a verbal bake at quarter-time, and was again vocal in his post-match address. When it comes to the bigger picture, the Saints have a win-loss record of 27-27 under Lyon, now in his third season of his second stint at the club, with frustration intensifying. While launching the annual Spud's Game, against Carlton, on Monday, Dilena, a former Fitzroy and North Melbourne player, admitted it was a frustrating time at Moorabbin. Loading 'It's a bit of a bumpy road, I think. We always knew it would be up and down, you don't have that straight-line, linear progression towards improvement. So you do go through moments like we are, at the moment, where it is a bit frustrating, and you think we are not performing to what we should be,' Dilena said. '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, [and] then you have a down week. We have hit some pretty strong opposition. 'I think we are getting beaten up in the midfield battle, not getting the ball going our way, and that's being reflected in getting some pretty extreme inside-50 counts the last couple of weeks. We have got to turn that around, we have got to start winning the ball, and fixing up our defence, which has been a bit leaky.' Saturday's loss was the first time since Lyon returned to Moorabbin that the Saints had conceded more than 100 points for three weeks in a row. Lyon's frustration was evident when he made a bold, early call and subbed off Hugo Garcia, 19, in the second term and replaced him with veteran Zak Jones. Fan footage later emerged of Lyon giving Garcia and Ryan Byrnes an almighty spray on the bench, particularly towards Garcia. Loading Dilena said Lyon was within his rights to have taken aim at Garcia. 'Personally, I would just make a personal comment – I love that aspect,' Dilena said. 'Anyone that has been a parent and has dealt with kids, you can cuddle them and nurture them as much as you like, but occasionally, occasionally, there might be a couple of stern words that go in there as well. 'Ross is an experienced coach. He is just driven to get the absolute best out of our players, and raise the standards of our club. For him, being very tolerant and very cuddly for a while – for him to occasionally come out and give someone a bake, I think that is good.' Lyon's decision to activate his substitute so early – he later said during a prickly press conference that he 'pulled the sub to get something done' – ultimately meant the Saints were a man short on the interchange when Mason Wood was concussed late in the game. Injured defender Zaine Cordy, who did not play on Saturday and was not in the team meeting, praised Lyon for showing 'that he cares and wants us to do well'. 'We have got certain expectations, we probably haven't been living up to them,' Cordy, nursing a pectoral injury, said. While Lyon, a four-time grand final coach, said he knows what the 'promised land' looks like, the Saints are mired in the middle rungs of the ladder. They have been rebuffed in their attempts to snare established rival talent, including Jacob Weitering, Finn Callaghan, Jordan De Goey, Zach Merrett and Luke Davies-Uniacke. They have a reported whopping $1.7 million per season deal before Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning, although veteran club recruiters Stephen Silvagni and Graeme Allan have, even internally, attempted to keep their plans a closely guarded secret, apart from acknowledging they have considerable cap space to work with. Dilena said the Saints would continue to pursue elite talent. 'All clubs, including ourselves, are in the market all the time looking for talent to bring in – we have made no secret of that,' he said. 'We will keep doing what we can to bring as much talent as we can to the club.' Blues star Cerra banned, North fight Curtis suspension AAP Carlton will lose midfielder Adam Cerra for one match, while North Melbourne will head to the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night to challenge a three-game suspension handed to forward Paul Curtis. Cerra had collected Geelong player Jack Bowes high in the third quarter of Carlton's 18-point win at the MCG on Sunday. The incident was graded as intentional conduct, low-impact and high contact, resulting in a one-game suspension handed down on Monday. Carlton teammates George Hewett and Jack Silvagni and Geelong star Jeremy Cameron were handed fines for careless contact with an umpire, while Lachlan Fogarty was handed a financial sanction for tripping. Meanwhile, Curtis is expected to face the tribunal on Tuesday night to fight his ban for rough conduct. Curtis tackled Port Adelaide defender Josh Sinn in the second quarter of the Kangaroos' nine-point loss, pinning his opponent's arms from behind. With Sinn suffering a concussion, Curtis's tackle was graded as severe impact, high contact and careless conduct. The forward is currently ruled out of the games against Essendon, Brisbane and Richmond. Silvagni set for surgery Peter Ryan Carlton defender Jack Silvagni will have surgery after suffering a broken hand in Sunday's win over Geelong. The 27-year-old showed courage to play through the injury, which was sustained in the first quarter. He spent time in the rooms receiving treatment before returning to the field to play a crucial role in the win. His bravery also allowed the Blues to keep their rotations going after they lost Zac Williams to a calf injury at quarter-time. A competition source, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed Silvagni's injury, with the timeline for his return unclear, although early indications are that he will not be sidelined for an extended period. Key forward Harry McKay praised Silvagni, who has been a revelation in defence in 2025, after Sunday's match. 'Every week he's not only getting a job done, but he's generating offensive ball movement and he's been huge, so I love playing with SOS,' McKay said.
7NEWS
28-04-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena endorses Ross Lyon's blast at Hugo Garcia against Brisbane
Like a parent disciplining a child, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon's quarter-time spray was necessary. At least that's how Saints chief executive Carl Dilena sees it. The so-called Cuddly Ross was nowhere to be seen at Marvel Stadium on Saturday after the first quarter of their eventual 45-point loss to Brisbane in round seven. Trailing by 18 points after taking just six inside-50s to the Lions' 50, an 'animated' Lyon refused to mince his words at quarter-time, before subbing out young midfielder Hugo Garcia early in the second term. 'Not a spray, but I was animated ... (the most) since I've been back at the club,' Lyon said after the match. 'We're talking top of the pops (Brisbane). Did I think coming here it was going to be a picnic? I wouldn't have thought so.' Lyon was also filmed delivering harsh words to 19-year-old Garcia on the bench. Dilena, fronting the media on Monday ahead of the annual Spud's Game in a fortnight, said he didn't have an issue with Lyon's behaviour when asked if the veteran coach had been too harsh to Garcia. '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. '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 eventually being steamrolled by 45 points for their third consecutive loss. They are 13th (3-4) after pulsating wins over Geelong and Port Adelaide earlier in the season. 'It's a bit of a bumpy road. We always knew it would be a bit up and down,' Dilena said. '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 look to return to the winners' circle when they take on Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Friday, before hosting Spud's Game against Carlton.
