‘I walk back in comfortably': Lyon on Freo fan reunion
Ross Lyon was at his theatrical best as the St Kilda coach denied he'd put any thought into the reaction he would get from the Fremantle fans as he prepares to face them for the first time.
Lyon also passionately defended tagger Marcus Windhager, but stopped short of revealing if he would get the job on Brownlow Medal fancy Caleb Serong when they meet at Optus Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Lyon has returned to Perth three times since he began his second stint as coach of the Saints in 2023, but all of them games have been against West Coast.
The three previous encounters against his former side have been at Marvel Stadium, but he will finally front the Fremantle faithful this weekend for the first time since he was sacked by the Dockers in late 2019 after 184 games at the helm.
His time at the Dockers ended in turmoil, leading them to only 29 wins from 87 games before he was sacked in August with only one game left in the season, having taken them to their first grand final appearance in 2013.
A jovial Lyon played down any potential reactions when asked about the match before he and the Saints flew to Perth.
'It's not something I've thought about to be honest,' Lyon said.
'It's a decade ago. That's a 10-year rebuild, it's almost a decade. It's part of a history, I'm proud of what we achieved there. A few top fours, a couple of prelims and a grand final. I walk back in comfortably.'
All eyes will be on whether Lyon sends stopper Windhager to tag Dockers star Serong after he made headlines for his tactics against Collingwood gun Nick Daicos.
Windhager was fined for an open palm whack to Daicos, while vision emerged of him apparently kneeing the Magpies vice-captain in the hamstring in an off-the-ball incident.
Serong told the media this week that he and fellow vice-captain Andrew Brayshaw would embrace the tag should it come their way.
Lyon wouldn't reveal if would tag Serong, but when asked about the Dockers' comments Lyon said: 'Oh terrific. Well done Caleb. Lyon will face Fremantle in Perth for the first time since his depature. Credit: Darrian Traynor / via AFL Photos
Lyon also defended the tactics used by Windhager, saying he played 'within the rules'.
'Marcus was in the rules, I think the umpires just tried to stamp stuff early, there's a lot of noise,' Lyon said.
'Collingwood come and supported, Marcus was physically grabbed and dragged off, he gets some clarity, put your hands in the air so it's easy to see you're getting tackled without the ball in the stoppage.
'I'm sorry for going out and competing. I thought you were allowed to compete, I never knew playing on someone was a tactic. Since Adam was a boy right, people have played and the great midfielders gets some tighter attention, that's just the way it is.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
7 hours ago
- West Australian
West Coast Eagles fight desperately but fall short against league-leading Collingwood
For a half it looked like West Could would produce an upset for the ages, but a miracle at Marvel Stadium was not to be as a professional Collingwood held their nerve to win by 29 points. The one-win Eagles weren't meant to get close to the ladder-leading Magpies, who went into the game as not only heavy favourites but the team to beat for this year's premiership. Ladder positions do not outweigh belief once the ball is bounced and for the first half West Coast played inspired football to test Collingwood in way not even the most optimistic of Eagles' fan could have dreamed of. The Magpies ensured they didn't become the first team in two decades to lead the competition and lose to the bottom side, kicking eight second half goals to two to shake off the brave Eagles and claim a 13.10 (88) to 8.11 (59) victory on Saturday evening. Plenty of attention was on Collingwood star Nick Daicos (34 disposals, five clearances and a goal) and whether Eagles coach Andrew McQualter would implement a tag on the Brownlow Medal fancy. And while Brady Hough spent time on Daicos at centre bounces, it was by no means a hard tag as the Eagles preferred to back their team defence to choke the Magpies' ball movement, forcing them to over handball and make mistakes. Hough himself had arguably his best game since becoming a midfielder earlier this season, finishing with 27 disposals and six clearances. The former defender was complemented by the spread of Harley Reid (17 disposals and six clearances), Clay Hall (22 disposals) and mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy (29 disposals), who attacked without fear which caught Collingwood off guard. Recruit Liam Baker (35 disposals and six tackles) led the way with his dash off half-back, his impact noticeable when West Coast were on top in the contest. While the young Eagles were plucky and proud, they were unable to match the seemingly endless number of stars at Collingwood's disposal. Josh Daicos (30 disposals) covered the ground effortlessly on a wing, while evergreen veterans Scott Pendlebury (28 disposals, nine clearances and a goal) and Steele Sidebottom (20 disposals and 10 tackles) continued their excellent form. If the Eagles were going to cause the biggest upset in 20 years, they were going to need the perfect start which they got when Jack Williams waltzed into an unguarded goalsquare for the first major of the day. Milestone man Brody Mihocek (two goals) responded for Collingwood not long after as he got his 150th game off in style. West Coast weren't disheartened though and kept confronting the Magpies, forcing errors with intense pressure, giving them no space to get their ball movement going. The Eagles let themselves down though in front of goal and there was a feeling under the roof that their inaccuracy would come back to haunt them if Collingwood could get their game going. A late goal from Tyler Brockman (two goals) stunned the crowd as West Coast held the most unlikely of nine-point leads. Any thoughts that Collingwood were going to allow the Eagles to maintain such a comfortable and surprising ascendency were dashed within three minutes of the second term. The Magpies won consecutive centre clearances which resulted directly in goals and restored normalcy much to the joy of the pro-Collingwood crowd. Suddenly Collingwood were bullying the young West Coast, who looked lost for answers to the physicality and spread from the contest of the slick Magpies. A lot of their dominance was on the back of ruckman Darcy Cameron (20 disposals, 36 hit-outs and nine clearances) who was not only feeding his midfield with elite ruck craft but was moving well around the ground to feed the runners. West Coast found another gear to not only to stop Collingwood's run of four unanswered goals but responded with four of their own which undoubtedly stunned Collingwood and had them still leading at the main break. As if the game was on repeat, the home side came out of the break firing, kicking four unanswered goals and look as if they'd finally done enough to break West Coast's spirit. But again, West Coast held strong and counter-attacked with flair as well as speed, which opened up the Magpies' defence. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Dan Houston kicked a long-range goal with only one second left in the third term which at the time felt like a big moment in the match. It would prove to be one of two massive moments either side of the final break. Charged with leading the forward line in the absence of injured spearheads Oscar Allen and Jake Waterman, Williams had the chance to give the Eagles a valuable goal to start the final term, but his kick drifted away to the left. It proved pivotal as Lachlan Sullivan hurt the Eagles at the other end to spark the crowd into their traditional 'Collingwood' chant. A tired West Coast couldn't go with the Magpies in the final term, who walked away victors as expected. COLLINGWOOD 1.3, 5.5, 10.6, 13.10 (88) WEST COAST 2.6, 6.7, 8.8, 8.11 (59) Goals – COLLINGWOOD: P Lipinski 2 B Mihocek 2 T Membrey 2 W Hoskin-Elliott D Houston N Daicos J Elliott S Pendlebury L Sullivan C West. WEST COAST: T Brockman 2 M Flynn B Hough T Kelly L Ryan J Shanahan J Williams Best – COLLINGWOOD: D Cameron S Pendlebury N Daicos J Daicos S Sidebottom P Lipinski. WEST COAST: L Baker B Hough T McCarthy L Duggan H Reid C Hall. Injuries – COLLINGWOOD: B Hill (personal) replaced in the selected side by O Markov. Umpires: B Hosking P Rebeschini H Birch C Jones. Crowd: 38,126 at Marvel Stadium.
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Eagles plucky but fall short of historic upset against Pies
For a half it looked like West Could would produce an upset for the ages, but a miracle at Marvel Stadium was not to be as a professional Collingwood held their nerve to win by 29 points. The one-win Eagles weren't meant to get close to the ladder-leading Magpies, who went into the game as not only heavy favourites but the team to beat for this year's premiership. Ladder positions do not outweigh belief once the ball is bounced and for the first half West Coast played inspired football to test Collingwood in way not even the most optimistic of Eagles' fan could have dreamed of. The Magpies ensured they didn't become the first team in two decades to lead the competition and lose to the bottom side, kicking eight second half goals to two to shake off the brave Eagles and claim a 13.10 (88) to 8.11 (59) victory on Saturday evening. Plenty of attention was on Collingwood star Nick Daicos (34 disposals, five clearances and a goal) and whether Eagles coach Andrew McQualter would implement a tag on the Brownlow Medal fancy. And while Brady Hough spent time on Daicos at centre bounces, it was by no means a hard tag as the Eagles preferred to back their team defence to choke the Magpies' ball movement, forcing them to over handball and make mistakes. Hough himself had arguably his best game since becoming a midfielder earlier this season, finishing with 27 disposals and six clearances. The former defender was complemented by the spread of Harley Reid (17 disposals and six clearances), Clay Hall (22 disposals) and mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy (29 disposals), who attacked without fear which caught Collingwood off guard. West Coast forward Liam Ryan gets a kick away under pressure. Credit: Morgan Hancock / Getty Images Recruit Liam Baker (35 disposals and six tackles) led the way with his dash off half-back, his impact noticeable when West Coast were on top in the contest. While the young Eagles were plucky and proud, they were unable to match the seemingly endless number of stars at Collingwood's disposal. Josh Daicos (30 disposals) covered the ground effortlessly on a wing, while evergreen veterans Scott Pendlebury (28 disposals, nine clearances and a goal) and Steele Sidebottom (20 disposals and 10 tackles) continued their excellent form. If the Eagles were going to cause the biggest upset in 20 years, they were going to need the perfect start which they got when Jack Williams waltzed into an unguarded goalsquare for the first major of the day. Milestone man Brody Mihocek (two goals) responded for Collingwood not long after as he got his 150th game off in style. West Coast weren't disheartened though and kept confronting the Magpies, forcing errors with intense pressure, giving them no space to get their ball movement going. The Eagles let themselves down though in front of goal and there was a feeling under the roof that their inaccuracy would come back to haunt them if Collingwood could get their game going. A late goal from Tyler Brockman (two goals) stunned the crowd as West Coast held the most unlikely of nine-point leads. Any thoughts that Collingwood were going to allow the Eagles to maintain such a comfortable and surprising ascendency were dashed within three minutes of the second term. The Magpies won consecutive centre clearances which resulted directly in goals and restored normalcy much to the joy of the pro-Collingwood crowd. Suddenly Collingwood were bullying the young West Coast, who looked lost for answers to the physicality and spread from the contest of the slick Magpies. A lot of their dominance was on the back of ruckman Darcy Cameron (20 disposals, 36 hit-outs and nine clearances) who was not only feeding his midfield with elite ruck craft but was moving well around the ground to feed the runners. West Coast found another gear to not only to stop Collingwood's run of four unanswered goals but responded with four of their own which undoubtedly stunned Collingwood and had them still leading at the main break. As if the game was on repeat, the home side came out of the break firing, kicking four unanswered goals and look as if they'd finally done enough to break West Coast's spirit. But again, West Coast held strong and counter-attacked with flair as well as speed, which opened up the Magpies' defence. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Dan Houston kicked a long-range goal with only one second left in the third term which at the time felt like a big moment in the match. Collingwood's Ned Long battles for the ball with West Coast's Jack Graham. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images It would prove to be one of two massive moments either side of the final break. Charged with leading the forward line in the absence of injured spearheads Oscar Allen and Jake Waterman, Williams had the chance to give the Eagles a valuable goal to start the final term, but his kick drifted away to the left. It proved pivotal as Lachlan Sullivan hurt the Eagles at the other end to spark the crowd into their traditional 'Collingwood' chant. A tired West Coast couldn't go with the Magpies in the final term, who walked away victors as expected. COLLINGWOOD 1.3, 5.5, 10.6, 13.10 (88) WEST COAST 2.6, 6.7, 8.8, 8.11 (59) Goals – COLLINGWOOD: P Lipinski 2 B Mihocek 2 T Membrey 2 W Hoskin-Elliott D Houston N Daicos J Elliott S Pendlebury L Sullivan C West. WEST COAST: T Brockman 2 M Flynn B Hough T Kelly L Ryan J Shanahan J Williams Best – COLLINGWOOD: D Cameron S Pendlebury N Daicos J Daicos S Sidebottom P Lipinski. WEST COAST: L Baker B Hough T McCarthy L Duggan H Reid C Hall. Injuries – COLLINGWOOD: B Hill (personal) replaced in the selected side by O Markov. Umpires: B Hosking P Rebeschini H Birch C Jones. Crowd: 38,126 at Marvel Stadium.
Sydney Morning Herald
14 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hazlewood rips through West Indies as Australia take 1-0 series lead
A fourth day looked likely before Lyon went bang-bang to hand Australia a comprehensive victory. 'When Joshy got the two [wickets] in a row I thought we were half a chance. The wicket was just playing a lot of tricks,' Cummins said. 'I thought we'd make decent inroads today but didn't think we'd get 10. 'Give Joshy a wicket with any little bit in it and he finds it. He just hits the right area, ball after ball, and presents good seam. He was fantastic. I thought he was great at Lord's last week without perhaps the returns he deserves, so it's a huge asset to have on our side.' Mitchell Starc took the first wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite but Hazlewood was the chief destroyer, removing John Campbell (23) and Brandon King in consecutive balls before his hat-trick ball went through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Hazlewood then snared Roston Chase (2) and Keacy Carty (20) to edge Australia closer to victory. At one point in his spell, Hazlewood took 4-4 from 16 balls. Resuming on 4-92 with an 82-run lead, Australian duo Travis Head (61) and Beau Webster (63) knuckled down for a commanding 102-run partnership to take the game away from the West Indies. The West Indies' terrible fielding in this Test was on display once again when Head was dropped on 21 by Greaves at second slip early in the day. It was the home side's seventh dropped catch in the slips across the match. Head and Webster's partnership was the first fifth-wicket century stand by an Australian pair in Tests since Mitch Marsh and Steve Smith put on 153 against Pakistan in Melbourne in 2023. Webster continues to prosper at Test level and now has a very tidy return of 305 runs at 43.57 from eight innings. Head, who was named man of the match, was out lbw to Shamar Joseph before Webster was unlucky to be caught down the leg side to the same bowler, leaving Australia at 6-208. Carey pushed the game along by crunching a 40-ball half century, which included two big sixes down the ground. There was a period in the middle session when Australia smashed 68 from 46 balls. Australia's wicketkeeper eventually perished for 65 as Joseph finished with figures of 5-87 for the innings to help bowl the tourists out for 310. 'I thought those three were brilliant,' Cummins said. 'They kept the scoreboard ticking over. That was the difference. Those guys took the game away from the West Indies.' Loading Joseph, who appeared to be carrying some kind of injury, pushed through the pain to pick up nine wickets for the match (9-133) in an impressive display after his heroics at the Gabba early last year. The West Indies' highest successful run chase in Bridgetown came in 1999 when Brian Lara made an unbeaten 153 to steer his side to a target of 308 against Australia with one wicket in hand. On this occasion, they never got close. A day after West Indies coach Daren Sammy slammed the performance of match officials, the side's captain Roston Chase also expressed his displeasure. 'There were so many questionable calls in the game and none of them went our way,' Chase said. 'We had some questionable calls and that really set us back in terms of creating a big lead on the total that Australia set. 'It's frustrating because as players, when we mess up, when we get out of line, we are penalised harshly. Sometimes we're even banned. You're talking about guys' careers.'
