“Moaners”: Cochrane whacks St Kilda and Lyon

SEN • March 24th, 2026 3:08 pm

Tony Cochrane, the chief pot stirrer, has taken aim at St Kilda.

The spat between the Saints and the Brisbane Lions has gone back and forth over the past few months, culminating in a fascinating clash between the two clubs this weekend.

Gerard Whateley summarised the situation perfectly, saying: “Chris Fagan pointed out that the Saints over-skewed the market by overpaying some players, the Saints got prickly about that and wanted Fagan censured.

“And they meet this Saturday at Marvel Stadium with all of that as a spicy backdrop.”

Former Gold Coast chairman Cochrane, a staunch supporter of footy in the northern states, believes the Saints have been too busy moaning.

He didn’t miss St Kilda coach Ross Lyon either, describing him as a “Brownlow Medallist at complaining”.

“The Saints are the most mismatched-named club in the world,” Cochrane said on SEN’s Whateley.

“I think they should be called the ‘Moaners’. That would be a better name than the Saints because they always seem to be complaining about something.

“It’s always everybody’s else’s fault whatever is happening in their world.

“Their coach is a 20-time Brownlow Medallist at complaining about and distracting of their own agenda.

“I have a lot of time for Chris Fagan, he’s proven to the world that he was perhaps the most unlikely coach ever to win a premiership, let alone two.

“He’s done an absolutely stunning job with the Brisbane Lions. I think when you’ve won back-to-back premierships - and he nearly could have won three in a row - when you’re in that position that gives you a right to make a commentary about your observation of the game and the players in the game and what you think is worthy of note.

“Chris Fagan doesn’t need Tony Cochrane to be an apologist for him, but to my mind Chris Fagan was fully entitled to make the comment and to observe that are we now starting to pay too much in some places.

“I think every list manager is sitting there thinking the exact same thing. So where does this all end up? I’m not quite sure.

“Really, the Saints just need to go and play football, don’t they?

“We’re a bit over hearing all the various moaning that’s gone on.”

All eyes on Marvel this Saturday from 12:35pm AEDT.