AFL’S most interesting figures of 2021: Ross Lyon is waiting in the wings

One of the biggest potential AFL newsmakers in 2021 begins the year not even holding an official role. Ross Lyon once described himself as an “AFL career coach”. He now sits patiently on the shelf waiting for an impatient board to breathe life into him. THIRD AND FINAL CHANCE Coaching in the unique ecosystem that is the AFL means that second chances are hard to come by if you haven’t tasted the ultimate success. Third chances are even harder. Rodney Eade, John Northey and Malcolm Blight, who was playing-coach of North Melbourne for 16 games, are the only men to have received a third coaching job without winning a flag in the AFL era. And, in fact, the only three dating back to the second World War. Lyon is hoping to join them. Of course, Lyon has only been sacked once, by Fremantle near the end of 2019. At the end of 2011 he sensationally walked out on St Kilda of his own accord after being “headhunted” by the Dockers. But he knows a third chance, should it come, will be his last. And it means going to the right club is critical. Lyon’s detractors say he’s never won a flag. Yet they seem to ignore that with a slice of luck he could have easily won two. Before the Dockers’ crash in 2016, he had coached for nine seasons and his winning percentage of 65.6 per cent was among the best of any long-term coach in footy history. That figure is now a mortal 56.4 per cent. WHERE COULD ROSS THE BOSS LAND? Lyon is said to have told confidants his only interest would be in coaching a big Victorian club who he believes is capable of challenging. He doesn’t want to move interstate again and he’s not interested in trying to do another rebuild. Lyon won’t have the patience and history shows those who work with him won’t either. He wants a self-motivated list who are ready to do the work. And as fate would have it, the stars could align for him in 2021 with multiple coaches entering the season under pressure. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is out of contract at the end of 2021 and will begin the season fighting for his future. With the club’s controversial trade period ‘fire sale’ behind him, Buckley will be desperate for finals to show he is the man to take the Magpies forward past the tenure of departing president Eddie McGuire. Simon Goodwin has two years remaining on his deal at Melbourne, though that may not be enough to save him if the Dees miss the finals for a third straight year since their 2018 preliminary final appearance. At Carlton, David Teague, also contracted until 2022, will be another desperate for September action. The Blues have not played finals since 2013. THE PR GAME When you are a ‘used car’ like Lyon, it’s all about creating the impression that clubs chase you. You don’t chase them. Lyon will remain in the public eye in 2021 through his suite of media roles, having made a good impression in his first season out of the hot seat. Expect a continuation of the type of comments he made last year about his future. “It’s not on my radar” ... “I’m enjoying what I’m doing” ... but also: “I would never say never.” Lyon’s bid to return to coaching will play out behind the scenes, not over the airwaves. In the meantime, his media roles will help ensure he remains relevant and provide a reminder of his astute footy brain. THE AGE OF REASON Lyon will turn 55 this year, making him older than all but two current AFL coaches. But a recent shift in thinking from the industry should ensure his birth certificate won’t rule him out. And with the dramatic burnout of Rhyce Shaw, 39, at North Melbourne fresh in the memory, the value of an experienced mentor shouldn’t be overlooked. Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, 59, is the league’s oldest coach and was also 55 when he was appointed four years ago. Ken Hinkley, 54, was 46 when he got his shot at Port Adelaide eight years ago, while Alastair Clarkson is now 52 and John Longmire 50. THE FAIRYTALE SCRIPT Lyon isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but there’s no doubting the allure of his extraordinary storyline if he was to ever get his hands on the premiership cup. Denied at St Kilda by a Matthew Scarlett toe-poke in 2009 and a cruel bounce away from Stephen Milne in the dying stages of the famous 2010 draw with Collingwood, Lyon is the only coach in VFL/AFL history to have twice led grand finals in time-on of the last quarter and not won a premiership. Like Collingwood legend Bob Rose, who led the Magpies to three grand final defeats by a total of 15 points in some of the most memorable deciders in history, Lyon takes his place in the chapter of football history reserved for the most tortured. If his chance to stand on the dais ever comes, it will end the longest wait for a first flag for any coach. It’s a record that currently sits with Mick Malthouse, whose history-making breakthrough triumph with West Coast in 1992 came in his 212th game as a VFL/AFL coach. Lyon has already coached 305 games, after five years at the Saints followed by eight seasons at the Dockers. Lyon and dual Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight might be polar opposites when it comes to their football philosophies. Lyon instinctively views the game as being about how to stop your opponent from scoring. Blight concentrated on the scoring. After losing his third grand final in 2013, when an inaccurate Fremantle fell to Hawthorn by 15 points, Lyon cited the case of the resilient Blight as he declared he wouldn’t crumble in his pursuit of the ultimate. Blight, who walked away from the game after his third grand final heartbreak with Geelong in 1994, took two seasons off before finally saluting with new club Adelaide at his first shot in 1997. Now, more than ever, the Blight story is a beacon and a blueprint for Lyon as he waits for his chance.

AFL’S most interesting figures of 2021: Ross Lyon is waiting in the wings

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