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Full Noise by SN
Simpson: Why Ross Lyon needs a plan B
Jaiden Sciberras • March 16th, 2026 8:00 pm
Under the microscope following an audacious summer spending spree, the Saints are without a result through two, leaving premiership coach Adam Simpson to question the club’s on-field direction.
Facing Melbourne at the MCG, St Kilda’s performance on Sunday was far from Ross Lyon’s typical defensive style, freeing up the club’s new recruits to attack in waves, exceeding 100 points for just the second time since the conclusion of the 2024 season (135pts v Richmond, Round 3, 2025).
However, against both Collingwood and the Dees, St Kilda has fallen short of the mark, seemingly without answers when their style of play fails to garner results.
With a list worthy of competing for a spot in the top 10, Simpson can’t help but question the coaching strategies when diving into the Saints’ poor start.
“I look at the coach straight away,” Simpson told SEN’s Whateley.
“When you think of Ross Lyon, how do you think of him as a coach? You think defence. You think, low score and numbers back, the game’s going to look ugly.
“Unfortunately, if you barracked for St Kilda back in the day, the game was going to look ugly, but you’re going to win. You’d take that any day of the week.
“He has embraced the new, embraced the new coaches around and playing in a way that is a lot more open and exciting… have they worked on a different way of playing when it’s not working?
“Their numbers looked okay, and they’ve been in the hunt in both games, but they don’t get over the line. I just didn’t see some coaching moves to change the direction when it really needed to be done.
“They looked better than last year, but we haven’t quite seen a move or a decision or a method that’s (helped). ‘This is 50/50, let’s make it 60/40 by doing this, this or this’.
“I haven’t quite seen them. In fact, it’s probably more the other way, moves that he perhaps should have made.”
Much has been said about Lyon and St Kilda’s decision to keep Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera in the forward line and then on the bench during crunch time against the Dees, with Kane Cornes labelling it the "dumbest coaching move this year".
While the decision – or lack of – certainly would have influenced the contest, Simpson is more concerned over the side’s inability to switch up the game plan once the Demons started taking control in the shootout at the ‘G.
“For me, the best teams do it really well – when you get on top of the contest, the best players get slightly in front of the play, and they get all this space in front of them,” he said.
“They force the defenders to either press up on you or retreat with the forwards. It looks like that is the scouting of Melbourne – once they get going, they are happy to get in front of the play and back in that they are going to win the ball.
“I just want to know what (St Kilda are) doing defensively. Melbourne’s had 30 scoring shots! Are we just embracing the chaos, or are we going to do something about it form a defensive point of view.
“I know that Round 6 is always different to Round 1, and these are the discussions that teams will have. If we can’t match a team in a shootout, what’s next?
“What’s plan B if this doesn’t work? I’m not quite sure he’s got to that level yet.”
St Kilda head to ENGIE Stadium to face the Giants this Saturday afternoon in a bid to end their winless streak.
