A Moorabbin reunion for former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is said to be gaining momentum less than 24 hours after Brett Ratten's sacking as senior coach of the Saints.
Lyon's name was the first of few that were raised shortly after St Kilda confirmed Ratten's shock departure, with suggestions emerging that the former Saints coach had been headhunted throughout Ratten's final few days at the helm of the red, white and black.
A swift move to cut ties with their senior coach less than 100 days after re-signing a two-year deal turned plenty of heads, especially given AFL clubs are just weeks away from beginning their pre-season training regimes.
The cut-throat call has brought many to assume St Kilda already have a name in mind to replace Ratten, with Lyon seen as the leading candidate.
According toย 7 News'ย Tom Browne, Lyon's potential return to the Saints, who he coached to two grand final finishes in a five-year tenure, "is on".
โMy sources indicate Ross Lyon and St Kilda is on,โ Browne reported on Friday night.
โNow there is a bit to play out, St Kilda insisting they haven't signed anyone or spoken to the candidates as yet. Lyon certainly isn't ruling out interest - prepared at least to take St Kilda's call.
โSt Kilda could move on Lyon as soon as late next week, I'm told.โ
Lyon is likely to be joined by newly-appointed Saints assistant Lenny Hayes and top-rated Demons coach Adem Yze in contention to succeed Ratten, while Western Bulldogs senior coach Luke Beveridge has had his name linked to the club despite being contracted at the Kennel until the end of 2023.
St Kilda will be the fourth club this year who'll replace their coach, following Brett Ratten's shock axing. https://t.co/4CtZQMjgRx @TomBrowne7 @7AFL #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/gnX2OgPioV
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) October 14, 2022
But it's Lyon's strong record across 13 years as senior coach, coupled with his ruthless mentorship, that has him favourite for the position.
The 55-year-old took over the reins at Moorabbin ahead of the 2007 season, landing grand final finishes in 2009 and 2010 before leaving the club for Fremantle at the end of his fifth season.
He would reach the third grand final appearance of his senior coaching career in 2013, recording 96 wins in 184 matches with the Dockers before departing in 2019.
Lyon's career coaching record sits at 172-5-128 across his stints with St Kilda and Fremantle.
