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Live sport on SN this weekend“My favourite quote of the year”: Why Lyon loves Hawthorn coach’s tough stance
Andrew Slevison • March 6th, 2025 12:02 pm
Garry Lyon absolutely loved the messaging from Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell in the club’s documentary ‘Full Sweat’.
The inside look at the Hawks aired on Channel 7 (and 7Plus) on Wednesday night and there was one piece of content in particular which caught Lyon’s eye.
During match sim at training, Mitchell told his assistants the following: “The body language of everyone was, ‘Oh, I’m tired’.
“As soon as they go, ‘I’m tired’, they need to go, ‘I’m tired? Imagine what the other team is feeling, I need to act’.
“I do not want us looking tired. If you look tired we will play with 16, get the f--k off.”
In response to those comments, Lyon was effusive in his praise of the Hawks coach.
He loved the tough stance taken and described it as his “favourite quote of the year”.
“This is my love of footy when I hear stuff like this,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“That could be my favourite quote of the year so far. ‘If they look tired, we’ll play with 16 players, get the ‘F’ off’.”
Co-host Tim Watson asked: “So he’s saying you can be tired, but you can’t looked tired?”
Lyon continued: “I just love it, I just love that mentality of a coach, imposing that standard on a player.
“How many times do you see guys dragging, going, ‘Oh yeah, I’m tired, I’m weary’. Yeah, well, good, we know you’re tired. Guess what? Everyone gets tired. Don’t use it as an excuse.
“I absolutely love that. I can’t tell you how much I love that. Because I think footy has gone that far the other way.”
Watson asked if Mitchell’s mindset shows a tougher mentality than perhaps we’re used to in modern coaches.
He asked: “Do you think that shows a harder edge to him than what’s been visible in other coaches?”
Lyon replied: “Yes! It does.”
The Melbourne great feels strength and conditioning staff and sports science in the modern era reacts too quickly when a player is showing signs of fatigue.
“I love the fact that’s where his mind is at,” Lyon continued.
“Because what happens and what I’ve seen happen over time is, ‘Oh geez, Tim looks like he’s not pushing to the contest in the third quarter’, so the strength and conditioning say, ‘Get him off’.
“No! Don’t get him off. I’m saying, ‘Get a message out to Watson and ask if you’re tired. Go on ball and see how tired you can get, then we’ll get you off’. That sort of stuff.
“I think we’ve gone too far the other way.”
For further context, Mitchell followed up what he initially said with his playing group after that match sim session.
“Tell me who could be proud of their body language?” he asked in a post-match video session.
“That team loses every f---ing game. I promise ya, every game, I don’t care who we play.
“You can be tired, you can’t look tired.”
Mitchell’s Hawks kick off the 2025 AFL season against the Sydney Swans at the SCG on Friday night from 7:40pm AEDT.
