A year ago, the Saints were unhappy with the present, the future appeared bleak, and their best option lay in the past.
As jilted as the Saints were when Ross Lyon broke their hearts 12 years ago, in this story the man dubbed “Ross the Boss” is no Daisy, though he does represent as close to a golden time as St Kilda has had.The club’s tortured history is part of football folklore – one flag in 126 seasons against 27 wooden spoons – but under Lyon it was a formidable force.
“It’s certainly exciting. It brings that element of bringing St Kilda people back to the club,” said Saints great Montagna, a two-time All-Australian turned respected Fox Footy pundit. In previous roles, Lyon had a reputation of being a hard taskmaster who could be difficult to work for, but track watchers at Moorabbin have observed a senior coach more trusting of his assistants, a natural byproduct of having people he has worked with.AFL Photos / Getty Images
When Saints players reported back for training after Christmas, “90 per cent of the list ran PBs” in the time trial, ruckman Rowan Marshall said. He attributed the fear of Lyon as a factor for the lift in training standards, an issue which sparked“I guess that’s what a new coach does,” Marshall said. “Everyone wants to impress the new coach, everyone’s definitely worked pretty hard.”The Saints of 2023 are typical of sides coached by Ross Lyon.
This newfound respect of the Fourth Estate, McGuire said, came after Lyon saw first-hand behind the scenes how hard journalists worked on stories.
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