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Lyon Laments Opportunities Lost

17 May 2008

ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon says failing to take advantage of opportunities was a key reason the Saints lost to Collingwood on Friday night.

The Saints fell short by just nine points despite dominating Collingwood in the midfield.

“It was a game of opportunities. They (Collingwood) took some opportunities, they probably pressured a bit better than us in the second half,” Lyon said.

“Even late, I thought we had some opportunities. It was a really fine line I thought.”

Lyon paid tribute to midfielder Luke Ball, who had 30 touches in the loss. Ball has battled highly publicised injury problems over the past three years but seems to be nearing his best.

“I thought he was super. I wasn’t here a couple of years ago but we spoke about rebuilding his running so I think the evidence tells you he’s running against elite midfielders and winning his own ball,” Lyon said.

“A lot of people were highlighting when he wasn’t [playing well] which is fair enough, but if you want to highlight his positives tonight you’ll get some good footage.”

It was a different story for forward Fraser Gehrig who kicked just one goal from seven possessions.

“He’ll be really disappointed – we’ll sit down during the week,” Lyon said.

“His body’s not what it was. It is frightening what can happen in six months.

"He is a really proud competitor but his hand’s been worrying him and he struggled to glove it tonight. I felt like I’ve given Fraser every opportunity over the past few weeks which I didn’t feel I had post-Geelong ... we’ll assess his body and his mind. Ultimately it’s what is best for St Kilda,” Lyon said.

“He’s a really hard trainer but father time catches up with you.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. He was really keen and trained really well over summer. We all respect Fraser – he’s been a wonderful contributor to St Kilda. I’ll sit down with him during the week. Clearly it is an issue, so it is on the agenda.”

But Lyon said his team’s problems up forward could not be blamed on just one player.

“There were a couple of times someone’s got it 40 metres out and next minute they’ve dished it out. We spoke about that. If you’re inside 50, go back and kick it. It was a concern and it was costly in the end. You can tie that back in to taking opportunities.”

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon tries to lift his players at three-quarter time

More Information

Official AFL Website of the
St Kilda Football Club