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Lyon: No talk of flag yet

Lyon: No talk of flag yet

03/05/2009 9:58 PM

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon insists he and his players will not get caught up in the growing hype surrounding his AFL club after the Saints made it six wins from six on Sunday night with an easy victory over fellow top four side from last year in the Western Bulldogs.

The Saints' biggest challenge in their unbeaten start to 2009 proved to be little challenge as the final winning margin of 28 points flattered the Bulldogs in a game where the Saints had 34 scoring shots to 21.

The victory means St Kilda remains unbeaten along with Geelong with the pair two games clear at the top of the ladder although the Saints still hold a 44 percent gap over Geelong due to their fantastic defence.

The Bulldogs kicked the highest score against St Kilda so far this season - a measly 76 points - but Ross Lyon's team has still conceded just 338 points in six matches, an average of just 56 points per game and 142 points fewer than the next best defensive side in the competition in Geelong.

But Lyon won't hear of talk of the Saints, whose one and only premiership was 43 years ago, being flag material just yet.

"There is that word again," he said on Sunday night when asked about his club's premiership credentials in 2009.

"We haven't even made the finals yet but we can't control outside expectations - no AFL club can."

But Lyon said the growing talk about the Saints' premiership credentials this year will only make him more determined to maintain the low-key approach at Moorabbin.

"All it tells me is we have got to re-focus on what we know is important to us and it is trigger to re-focus again and not get caught up in other people's expectations."

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion (of St Kilda) and some of them are accurate and some are inaccurate but if we focus on those and get distracted then we are not doing our job."

"Clearly Geelong (with 48 wins in its past 51 matches) is the benchmark team of the competition and (reigning premier) Hawthorn has been decimated with injuries but they have still got themselves up to three (wins) and three (losses) so everyone else is still chasing those two and we are no different."

 
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