Spotlight on St Kilda: Should Lyon be under more pressure? Does Max King need to move on?

Should there be more noise around Ross Lyon and St Kilda given the club’s struggles in 2024?

Kane Cornes believes the pressure from the media on Saints coach Lyon has been non-existent after his side has fallen from sixth last year to 15th now.

The Saints have been battling away this year, particularly of late in losing five of their last seven, while failing to kick any decent scores (aside from 106 in a loss to Brisbane).

Cornes feels things at the Saints have stagnated, questioning the way they played in Sunday’s two-point loss to a struggling Port Adelaide team.

He also criticised Lyon and his coaching staff for a lack of development in their talented youngsters, in particular Max King.

“No one is prepared to put any pressure on Ross Lyon,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.

“It's amazing. Holistically, the media will not put Ross Lyon under any pressure.

“Robbo’s Tackle, for example, not one mention of Ross Lyon. I watched the first bit of First Crack last night. They spoke about Max King, they didn't mention once Ross Lyon and his inability to score.

“They come up against Port Adelaide, they're playing at home, Port Adelaide are on their knees. Their game is awful at the moment, they could not be playing any worse.

“For this team to be in 15th position, for the stagnation of their young players and what is happening right now, for the Max King discussion and how his career has been almost derailed.

“Now, is it Max? Is it the Saints? Is it their ball movement? It's a combination of all those things.”

There are plenty of other issues plaguing the Saints which Cornes reeled off, wondering where it has gone wrong for Lyon in 2024.

“For (Mattaes) Phillipou to be playing in the VFL, for Mitch Owens to be touching the football nine times, for (Darcy) Wilson to be touching the ball seven times, for (Marcus) Windhager, who is a young player that a lot of Saints fans are excited about, to be playing a genuine shutdown, negating, scragging role and have 10 touches…,” he added.

“18,000 fans at Marvel, to have players that you speak about want to leave, for their average age to be higher than Port Adelaide's yesterday, for their experience to be higher yesterday than a Port Adelaide team.

“What has happened to the St Kilda Football Club this year? What is the game style that has made them kick 60 points against a team on their absolute knees that couldn't be playing any worse?

“Yet no one will be prepared at all this week (to criticise Lyon). I have been all year. We all love Ross, he’s so engaging and I love listening to him talk about football.

“But they've got to take some accountability for the season that they are having to be bottom four after hosting an Elimination Final last year, and for this to completely go off the rails. Their injury list is slim, they have a full squad to pick from.

“So the stagnation of the young players, nothing for the fans to be excited about, for the game style to break down, for a coach as disciplined and as well-drilled as Ross Lyon is to lose close games again.

“Saints fans, I’m not sure if you care, because no one really turned up yesterday.”

The spotlight was then shone on King, who at almost 24 years of age, has not quite come on as the club would have liked.

He went goalless against the Power with just 10 disposals and three marks, and has kicked 19 goals in 12 games this year.

Cornes firmly believes that the former No.4 draft pick would be better off finding another club where he could truly develop as the gun forward many expect him to be.

He asked: “Where does it leave Max King?

“I wrote about this about five weeks ago about him considering his future.

“Now all the scrutiny is going to be on Max's performance, and those are going to say, ‘the Saints should trade Max King’.

“Max should make the decision himself that ‘I want to be traded’. He has been let down by a system that doesn't suit his style of play.

“So for him to play like he did yesterday was the combination of a lot of things. For him to be the main target since he stepped foot into that club with no help, they've done nothing to bolster him and support him in any way.

“So a skinny kid comes in and he's the main man from day one. He's not that.

“With that ball movement, with the no help around him, with all the numbers, with the way that the Saints move the footy, you're never going to get the best out of Max.

“If he went to the club and said, ‘I need a fresh start, a circuit-breaker, what that would look like right now’. Of course they would get something for him.

“I’m worried about Max King and what is best for his football. What is best for his football is not to be at the Saints.

“I think they I think they've let him down. It’s game style, development, the fact that they've been so reliant on him, they've done nothing to support him.”

King is averaging 1.6 goals this year as opposed to 2.5 last year and 2.4 in 2022.

The Saints, who own a 5-10 win-loss record, next meet ladder leaders the Sydney Swans at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.