Yoshi Keeps Writing about Footy: Ross Lyon’s Play List

The AFL National Draft for 2014 is over and Australia still mourns Phil Hughes. Almanackers talk about footy less these days. But like the 1116 SEN slogan, I keep writing about footy.

On the same day when the National Draft was held on the Gold Coast, a Facebook page of footy analysing grabbed my attention. They analysed about play list at Ross Lyon’s Docker army.

It says that Fremantle is having 12 players aged 29 or over in the 2015 AFL season.

What a surprise. I have heard that Lyon did not blood many kids in his games for St Kilda, but now two thirds will become veteran players (if all of these players are included in his 18 players on a game day).

My liking analysing and curiousness of Lyon made me to take further analysing. Even I admit that my analysing may not be accurate because I do not think I have picked all players who have retired or been delisted or traded properly at these season, but here are my surveying play lists.

St Kilda Playing List in 2007 (the year Ross Lyon started coaching the Saints)

Number of veteran players (29 year-old or over): 5

Average age of players: 24

St Kilda Playing List in 2012 (the first year for Scott Watters who was appointed after Lyon’s departure)

Number of veteran players (29 year-old or over): 6

Average age of players: 26

Current St Kilda Play List

Number of veteran players (29 year-old or over): 6

Average age of players: 24

As for St Kilda’s player list, it is hard to see Ross Lyon has not blooded kids into the list from my analysing. However many players drafted in 2009 and 2010 have already left the club.

Six players were drafted in 2009, but three left within a year (2010, his debut year), one left the next year, and another one left in 2012. Rhys Stanley was the only one player who played for the Saints in 2014, but was traded to Geelong after the 2014 Season.

Similar circumstances occurred for boys who were drafted in 2010.

Then Lyon created a gap in ages. St Kilda had fewer players between 20 and 24 in 2012, the first season for Scott Watters. Young players needed more experience and players around 24 or 25 would have gained more experience so they would contribute well to the club. I guess that making the best play list would be hard for Watters.

Let’s see the Western Australian club’s status.

Fremantle Play List in 2012 (Unexpected one Mark Harvey left for Lyon)

Number of veteran players (29 year-old or over): 5

Average age of players: 24

Current Fremantle Play List

Number of veteran players (29 year-old or over): 12

Average age of players: 26

I heard that Lyon’s style not blooding kids continued at Fremantle. This data shows it obviously.

When I surveyed the current Fremantle play list, I learned that young kids drafted last year only played a small number of games this year. They must have played as subs.

Many footy fans reckon that Lyon has been doing the same as what he has done at St Kilda. Even some people think Lyon would jump on a ship to move to somewhere else when his Dockers get older.

But on the other hand, Lyon pushed up the ladder at both clubs and coached four Grand Finals (three at St Kilda including the replay in 2010 and one for Fremantle). It is good stuff, but not having kids on his list is not good for clubs as long terms.

He can be a fix termed coach, like Melbourne’s Paul Roos who have been contracted with Demons for two years (His contracted was extended to three years during the 2014 Season) to guide a club to Grand Final. However if Lyon does not blood kids during a few year coaching, then the club is likely to face rebuilding. This idea will not be a good one if a club is seeking long term solutions.

If I were managing an AFL club in an average or good side but struggling with appearing in the Grand Final, I might hire Lyon to achieve the long term goal. But I would not appoint him as a senior coach although he could be a co-coach like what Essendon had thought about James Hird and Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson. Or I would offer Lyon as a developing coach or advising coach to work alongside a senior coach who is willing to train and develop young players.

During the 2014 Season, I heard that Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson was seeking to develop young blokes while maintaining good footy. It is a good decision and Clarko is learning from Lyon’s mistakes.

Coaching an AFL club is a very skilled job and unique, I guess. They are expected produce good records and to develop young players too.