‘It was massive': St Kilda coach Ross Lyon's blow up exposed
The veteran coach reportedly gave his players a spray for the ages after their sluggish performance during a 45-point thumping at the hands of the reigning premiers at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every AFL match this Saturday LIVE. Catch all the action in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
Lyon did little to hide his emotions throughout the day and was in a mood right from the second quarter when 19-year-old midfielder Hugo Garcia was sensationally yanked from the field and subbed out after four disposals and one tackle. The Saints were down by five goals at the time.
The former Fremantle coach was also seen giving Garcia a spray on the sideline.
It has now emerged the whole team copped a barrage after the final siren.
'My information post-game is that Ross Lyon gave an all-time Ross Lyon spray behind the scenes to the team – and it was massive,' leading footy journo Tom Morris told Channel 9's Footy Furnace.
'I think everyone in that room will remember it for a very, very long time.'
Essendon legend James Hird pointed out Lyon could be a 'scary man' if he became worked up enough.
'I've never actually copped a spray from Ross Lyon, but seeing what I saw at Marvel Stadium on the weekend with Hugo Garcia I'm glad I didn't,' Hird told Nine.
'Ross at his best is a scary man. What a wonderful coach he has been, but when he gets up a head of steam, you don't want to be in his way.'
Lyon looked fired up when he barked at his players at quarter time.
The 58-year-old was also prickly with reporters in his post-game press conference.
He conceded his quarter-time bake was the most animated he'd been since he returned to the club last year.
Lyon said he was particularly frustrated by his side's inability to turn first possessions into clearances after St Kilda was restricted to just six inside 50s in the first quarter.
'It's not personal … how about show some fortitude and hang onto the ball and get it going our way,' Lyon said of the quarter-time message.
'We had it, but … our ability to control the ball and exit the ball in a manner that's expected was bottom end.
'You win the ball, first possession off the ruck's hand and (Brisbane are) too big and strong and strip it or we just flick it out flippantly and the ball gets swept away, that's what happened a lot.
'After quarter time they responded to that … not a spray, yeah I was animated.'
Although there was an upturn in performance following the first break, Lyon was left frustrated.
'(It) tells you mentally that they weren't tuned in to the conditions of their opponent like they need to be, that was really disappointing,' he added of the opening term.
Lyon has shown in the past two weeks that he isn't afraid to pull the trigger and make an early sub. In last week's loss to the Bulldogs, Liam Henry was taken off at half-time, and on Saturday it was Hugo Garcia who was taken out of the clash midway through the second term.
Despite being reduced to just three on the interchange later in the match after Mason Wood was concussed, Lyon said he had no regrets regarding the early sub.
'I live in the world of action, right? You'd sit there and go, why'd they pull the sub, I pulled the sub to try and get something done,' Lyon said.
'Sometimes I just get to the roll the eyes stage, sometimes you've just got to stop talking about it and go bang.'
The Saints efficiency inside 50 was just 39.5 per cent which is well below their season average, and Lyon lamented his side's ball use.
'We just slaughtered the ball which is just demoralising, and (Brisbane) are that good they go bang bang and people are hanging their heads, which we don't normally do,' Lyon said.
'Later with the ball, we had some good passages but we're not executing at a high enough standard for long enough.
'When we won the ball and got some territory I thought we looked dangerous and (Brisbane) had to respond and they did.
'We've got a lot of work to do but we know where we're headed, we're not deviating.'
The Saints fell by 71 points to the Bulldogs last week after a 28-point loss to GWS at Gather Round.
Saturday's loss was the first time since Lyon returned to St Kilda that the Saints had conceded over 100 points for three weeks in a row.
They next face Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Wallabies show fight in 29-26 loss to British and Irish Lions in second Test
For players, coaches and supporters, honourable defeats are hard to take. In a three-Test series — such as the one being played out between the Wallabies, and the British and Irish Lions — only wins, draws and losses are recorded. Knowing the Wallabies came close in their 29-26 loss to the Lions in the second Test at the MCG, having led until the final minute, coach Joe Schmidt won't be satisfied with the result. He will certainly have difficulty in processing how his troops coughed up an 18-point lead late in the first half. But Schmidt can't fault the effort of the Wallabies, who showed they had learned from the mistakes they made in the 27-19 loss to the Lions in the first Test in Brisbane. All week, they were being told they needed more physicality and aggression on both sides of the ball to match the Lions, and the renewed intent from the Wallabies was clear to see early. Will Skelton and Rob Valetini — both absent from the first Test because of calf injuries — were busy with ball-carries in attack, a key reason Schmidt was desperate to see them return. And Tom Lynagh nailed his brief from the kicking tee, capitalising on the Lions' ill-discipline with two penalty goals to establish a 6-0 lead after 11 minutes of play. But any momentum the Wallabies gained from their positive start was soon halted. After a Jack Conan try was disallowed due to a loose carry, the Lions crossed the stripe in the 15th minute when Dan Sheehan took a tap from a close-range penalty and bullied his way over the goal line. It was the sort of try parents would see every weekend, when watching their children play in the underage groups, and a telling reminder of how powerful the Lions forwards are with their hit-ups. The Wallabies' resolve was challenged at this moment and their supporters sitting in the stands — amid the 'Sea of Red' — could have been forgiven if they thought the Lions were about to take a stranglehold on the proceedings. The home side's predicament wasn't helped either when winger Harry Potter was forced from the field due to injury. Schmidt's decision to select a 6-2 (six forwards, two backs) bench was now under the spotlight, as he had only picked a scrum-half (Tate McDermott) and utility playmaker (Ben Donaldson) on his back reserves. Bizarrely at the time, he opted to play McDermott on the wing, instead of sending Donaldson into the fray and reshuffling his backline. Pundits had no time to debate the merits of Schmidt's decision, as the Wallabies switched gears and scored three unanswered tries in the space of eight minutes. Loose-head James Slipper was the first to score, with the Wallabies employing the 'pick and go' tactic that served them well when they launched their second-half fightback in Brisbane. The Lions' cause took another blow immediately after Slipper dotted down in the left corner, with winger Tommy Freeman shown a yellow card for cynical play in defence. Fourteen players on 15 for 10 minutes is a scenario every team wants to avoid, and the Wallabies made the Lions pay. Scrum-half Jake Gordon took advantage of the Lions' lazy ruck defence to dart over for a try, before a brilliant attacking set-play saw fullback Tom Wright touch down. After 30 minutes, the scoreboard read 23-5 in the Wallabies' favour … where was this ruthlessness a week ago? And did the Lions have any tricks up their sleeve to work their way back into the contest? Fortunately for the Lions and their hordes of supporters, all they needed was possession. They showed how dangerous they are with ball in hand to score back-to-back tries through Tom Curry and Huw Jones to cut the Wallabies' lead to 23-17 by half-time. It wasn't Schmidt showing a lack of appreciation for the Wallabies' first-half display when he made three changes to his forward pack at the break. Off went Valetini, Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa, and on came Langi Gleeson, Tom Robertson and Angus Bell. Injecting three reserves was the luxury Schmidt enjoyed by naming a forward-heavy bench and by the 49th minute Skelton was given an early mark. Interestingly, Lions coach Andy Farrell was keeping his powder dry, having decided to hold off sending reinforcements onto the field. Had Schmidt gone to his bench too soon? For the moment, it seemed inspired as the Wallabies began dominating territory as they had midway through the first half. An attacking raid had the Lions defence on the back foot, before the tourists gave away a penalty to allow Lynagh to stretch the Wallabies' lead to 26-17. By the 55th minute, Farrell had begun to make changes to his on-field XV and the fresh legs had the desired effect. Following a Bundee Aki midfield break, the Lions marched their way deep inside the Wallabies' 22 and barged over for a try on the left flank, scored by Tadhg Beirne. Finn Russell slotted the extras from just inside the touchline, reducing the Wallabies' lead to two points with 20 minutes on the clock. Stoically, the Wallabies maintained their narrow scoreboard advantage until the 80th minute of the match. With the Lions on the attack inside opposition 22, the Wallabies defence grimly held on until the dam wall busted in the form of Hugo Keenan scoring on the left flank. A layer of tension was subsequently added when the match officials and TMO wanted to review the lead-up play to Keenan's try. But the try stood and courtesy of the late score, the Lions had clinched an unassailable 2-0 series lead. Honourable defeats should hurt, but the Wallabies can't be accused of not trying.
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Angela Jones suspended at Doomben but still in box seat to claim Brisbane jockeys' premiership
Angela Jones copped a 13-day suspension and a severe reprimand from stewards on a dramatic Saturday at a wet Doomben but she's still in prime position to take out the Brisbane metro jockeys' premiership. Jones extended her lead to two victories over apprentice Emily Lang (64 wins) in the premiership race before a lightning storm brought a delay to proceedings after four races. At that stage Jones had already steered home a winner, gelding Space Age in a Benchmark 85 over 1615m, to inch closer to becoming the first woman to secure a Brisbane metro jockeys' crown. However, it wasn't all plain sailing for Jones, who copped a pair of riding suspensions and a severe reprimand from stewards from incidents in the opening race. Jones drew the ire of stewards for her ride on Tony Gollan's $2.20 favourite Boomshanka, being charged twice for careless riding. But her 13-day suspension won't impact her prospects of scoring the riding premiership, given she has deferred the ban to start after next Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting, which forms part of the new racing season from August 1. Chief steward Josh Adams told Jones: 'We don't want to sour what should be an exciting time for you. 'But out of one race, we have suspended you twice and also reprimanded you.' Space Age for Ange! She gets back out to a two win lead over Emily Lang in the Brisbane Jockeys Premiership, will she hold on? 😅😅 @cmaherracing â€' 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) July 26, 2025 Lang and Jones playfully donned boxing gloves for a photo shoot during the storm delay, but the gloves will be off when the premiership title goes on the line at Doomben on Wednesday. It will be a fitting end to a thrilling battle between the close mates, who both work for Brisbane's top trainer Gollan. Whoever wins the premiership, Lang said she will always be indebted to Jones for being a shoulder to lean on in the early days of her apprenticeship. 'I looked up to Ange for a long time, she was already race riding before I had even started riding trials,' Lang said. 'She went through the grades really quickly and I looked at her and I thought that's what I aspire to be. 'Ange put the writing on the wall in her first year in town as an apprentice and, as a female jockey myself, I really looked up to her.' Racing Queensland officials opted to reschedule the final race on the card, a 3YO Handicap over 1350m, to Wednesday at Doomben, as the light faded and the track deteriorated to a Heavy 9. In that postponed race, Jones was booked to ride Estrondo for trainer Rob Heathcote and Lang was due to pilot Fireforce for Kelly Schweida. Lang was denied a chance to narrow the gap in race seven when her ride Set To Shine was a late scratching at the barriers, with Jones finishing runner-up on Castillian ($3.40) to roughie Super Duck ($21).
7NEWS
9 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Suns coach Damien Hardwick singles out unheralded star Jarrod Witts for big praise after win over Lions
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has singled out Jarrod Witts for special praise after the Suns cemented their spot in the top eight with a historic 66-point win over Brisbane. The Suns had lost 12 of the past 13 Queensland derbies, but flipped the script in a dominant 20.10 (130) to 9.10 (64) romp at a wet People First Stadium. Captain Noah Anderson (33 touches) did the early damage, while Matt Rowell (37 touches, 14 clearances, 12 tackles) won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for best on ground. Hardwick's selection calls were also vindicated with the recalled Alex Davies (30 touches, 10 tackles) and Jy Farrar (three goals) making strong contributions in their first senior games of the season. Ben Long rediscovered his early-season form with four majors and Bailey Humphrey (three goals, eight tackles) also shone, but Hardwick was quick to point to ruckman Witts after the match. 'Can I make a statement about Jarrod Witts ... I watched TV the other day that had a list of ruckmen that are in the mix, go and have a look at what our guy has done to those guys,' he said. 'Start having the conversation about how good this guy has become. 'He's been unbelievable, so just have a deeper dive into it to see what he's actually become.' Melbourne captain Max Gawn, Sydney star Brodie Grundy, North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri and Collingwood gun Darcy Cameron are widely talked about as the likely candidates in the mix for All-Australian. But Hardwick said he wouldn't take any of them ahead of Witts. 'I'd love to have him as All-Australian, I wouldn't pick another ruckman over this guy.' Victory, in front of 20,833 fans, was the Suns' biggest in a QClash, while their 12th win this season is a club-high. The win also gave the Suns a 2-1 record against the competition's top three sides in their past three games. Gold Coast now with just one top-eight opponent in their final five regular-season games. Meanwhile, the premiers next travel to the MCG to face table-topping Collingwood as part of a tough run to September. Brisbane started well with goals to Callum Ah Chee and Neale, before the Suns, fresh off an Adelaide battering a week earlier, responded. Witts set the tone at the bounce, while Davies threw his 193cm frame around and fit-again Sam Collins imposed himself in defence. The contest was drifting in the second quarter until skipper Anderson again took it by the scruff with a goal and assist inside a minute. His first drifted over the pack and was toed on the line by Farrar, before he produced a repeat of his Collingwood match-winner a fortnight earlier, streaking from the centre square and nailing a major from 50 metres after a neat one-two. The Suns' fine kicking continued when Long threaded the needle, creating a 33-point half-time buffer as heavy rain started to fall. It didn't slow Farrar, who benefited from another clever Witts tap to squeeze through his third goal. Rowell was running freely in a dominant third term, with Ben Ainsworth and Long's goals swelling the lead beyond 50 points to effectively kill the contest. Neale still amassed 36 touches, while Cam Rayner kicked three late goals to go with 19 disposals for Brisbane. Lions utility Conor McKenna (hamstring) was substituted at half-time.
