St Kilda President Backs Ross Lyon's Media Approach After Fiery Press Conference
St Kilda president Andrew Bassat has publicly supported senior coach Ross Lyon's treatment of the media following a contentious press conference exchange with a journalist. Lyon defended his team's start to the season by pointing to their challenging fixture after a loss to Adelaide, but his responses were labeled as condescending by prominent media figure and player agent Liam Pickering.
Criticism from Media Figures
During the press conference, Lyon questioned a journalist's perspective, asking, I would think if you take out win-loss we've improved. Is that rational and logical? You're allowed a judgement, what do you think? This interaction sparked backlash from Pickering and SEN colleague Josh Jenkins, who both suggested journalists should boycott Lyon's press conferences.
Pickering expressed his frustration, stating, It just doesn't cut it for mine, and he does it regularly especially when they lose. If I was a journo I wouldn't bother turning up. He added, And he's getting away with it, that's the reality — 'oh, that's just Ross, he's feisty'. It's just not good enough in my opinion.
Concerns Over Respect and Deflection
Jenkins echoed these sentiments, emphasizing a lack of respect in Lyon's approach. What I don't like about it is it's a level playing field. He's not on a pedestal and they're down beneath him as people or in their respective professions. There's just not a level of respect there, he said.
Jenkins noted that while Lyon can be entertaining and informative at times, his behavior in this instance was problematic. He was almost testing reporters — 'who have we played? And then who did we play? Say it louder, I couldn't hear you'. It's just all nonsense and it's all noise and it's all deflection away. He concluded, They are playing a brand of footy that can give them an opportunity to win games but at the end of the day you are what your record says you are. You're two wins and four losses, so you've got to find a way to get better versus sitting in there and making other people look inferior.
Bassat's Defense of Lyon
Despite the criticism, Bassat has no intention of intervening or reining in Lyon, who coached St Kilda to their most recent grand final. Speaking to ABC radio, the president acknowledged the tough situation coaches face. It's a pretty tough situation we put coaches in. You have a one-point loss, you don't have much luck in the running, you've got to front an interview.
Bassat defended Lyon's honesty and responsiveness. I think Ross is much better with good questions than he is with bad questions. I cop it myself from time to time. Ask stupid questions, win stupid prizes, is his view. I think if he gets an intelligent and fair question, he'll respond to it fairly. If he doesn't, he's perhaps more honest than most coaches about the fact that he doesn't feel that way.
This support from the club's leadership highlights the ongoing tension between AFL coaches and the media, with Bassat standing firm behind Lyon's candid and sometimes confrontational style in press conferences.
