Will Ross Lyon's coaching style work in 2022? Pavlich weighs in

Former Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich believes his old coach Ross Lyon would still be a good coach at AFL level, even after a few years out of the game.

Lyon has been strongly linked to the now vacant Carlton coaching job.

Pavlich was a key part of the external review that took place at the Blues in 2021 and feels the players are at a good stage for the veteran coach’s stern leadership.

“The playing group is relatively well established, they’ve been there for a while, all their draft picks have been high and all the trades that have come in,” the Freo great told SEN’s Gilly and Goss.

“It’s a pretty mature group if you look at that list. If you’re talking about where that team is at in their life cycle or evolution, they’ve got a good foundation there.

“My personal view about Ross, he was the best coach I had. No one is perfect and he’s got things he needed to work on and needs to work on to get the best out himself and his group and he’s fully aware of that.

“I haven’t heard from him or spoken to him personally so I don’t know if, outside of what we see in the media, it sounds like he’s put his hand up and wants that role, my personal view is he would be a very good coach again at AFL level whether it’s at Carlton or otherwise.”

When asked whether Lyon’s defensively focused game-plan would work in 2022, Pavlich admitted tweaks would obviously be needed to adjust to recent rule changes.

“I retired five years ago so the game plan that I played under with Ross wouldn’t stack up because the game has changed and shifted significantly,” he said.

“There was no 6-6-6, we would send forwards up around the back of stoppages or the back of the square and play tricks. You can’t do that anymore. That’s one obvious thing that would change.

“There’s lots of other things in regard to ball movement and structures and defensive play … I think systematically teams have shifted from their defensive mechanisms. There would have to be a shift around that.

“In my view Ross’ great strengths are about the team dynamic piece, if he can get that right and that harmony and that chemistry and that challenge and that beautiful mixture of support and challenge.

“If you can get that right in an AFL environment then your team can be up and humming.”

Carlton president Luke Sayers told SEN Breakfast on Friday that he has already had a 45-minute conversation with Lyon as the club begins the process of replacing the sacked David Teague.