Skip to Content. Skip to Navigation.

News

 
 
Lyon: Riewoldt's form a bonus

Lyon: Riewoldt's form a bonus

23/07/2008 12:03 PM

St Kilda's recent increased attacking potency is not solely due to the form of star skipper Nick Riewoldt; according to coach Ross Lyon.

The Saints - long accused of playing negative football under Lyon - have just recorded successive scores above 100 for the first time since Lyon took charge at the start of last season.

Riewoldt - the Saints' four-time best and fairest - has booted nine goals in the past two weeks, including six in Saturday night's thrilling come-from-behind win over highly-rated Hawthorn at Telstra Dome.

But Lyon, whose team has emerged as a chance to finish in the top four given its good run home, insists his team is not overly reliant on its champion skipper to kick them winning scores.

"We have won our last four (games) and that (Saturday night against Hawthorn) is his first bag of six," Lyon said of Riewoldt.

"We are not reliant on him because our backs are kicking goals and our midfielders and our small forwards are also kicking goals."

"We had nine goalkickers on the weekend (and ten the week before against Carlton) so we like to share the load and we don't want to be dependent on one person to kick goals."

And such is Lyon's confidence in the Saints' new found potency that he will allow Riewoldt to continue to play his free-roving role in attack - which often sees him go up the ground - rather than force his best player to play close to goal.

"On the weekend he (Riewoldt) took a number of marks on centre wing and what is pleasing is he has improved his ground level play and he is getting goals in different ways such as from handball receives as well as from contested marks and on the lead so he has added some strings to his bow."

"He has improved as a player and he is the everywhere man - he will run into defence and on the wing so you don't know where Nick is going to be and that is the way I like it."

The Saints' recent boost in attack - with the team having kicked 119 points in each of its last two games - is in stark contrast to its lack of strikepower throughout Lyon's tenure to date.

Prior to the last fortnight, the Saints had not only never booted 100 points or more in successive matches but had only done so in 10 of 36

 
Page12»

Mondayitis

 
 

Mondayitis

Every Monday Bren O'Brien, Peter 'Crackers' Keenan and Paul Gough will look back over the round that's been and look forward to everything that's coming up. Click here for the latest episode.

 

Latest AFL Headlines

 
 
Voss wants form
Voss wants form
AFL
22/03/2010 7:30 PM
Brisbane coach Michael Voss has vowed to put pre-season form before reputations when he ...
 
 
Mick eyes Pies flag
AFL
22/03/2010 6:54 PM
 
Melbourne's youth hope
AFL
22/03/2010 6:23 PM
 
Brown: Rotations too much
AFL
22/03/2010 5:16 PM
 
Podsiadly promoted
AFL
22/03/2010 3:39 PM
 
Port duo tipped to shine
AFL
22/03/2010 11:41 AM
 
Bombers target finals
AFL
22/03/2010 11:08 AM
 
Johnson return unclear
AFL
19/03/2010 11:35 AM
 
Demetriou warns FFA
AFL
19/03/2010 11:17 AM
 
Cats still purring
AFL
19/03/2010 8:09 AM
 
 
 

Latest AFL Audio

 
 
Icon Dane Swan media conference
22/03/2010 05:31 PM
 
Icon Heath Shaw: Premiership window open
22/03/2010 05:31 PM
 
Icon Darren Jolly media conference
22/03/2010 05:26 PM
 
 

Our Say

 
 
Crackers Keenan
Crackers' Call - Round 1
Crackers Keenan
For those wanting to see a change at the top in the AFL this year - forget it!more
Paul Gough
NAB Cup points the way
Paul Gough
The NAB Cup grand final could well prove a great form line when it comes to sorting out ...more
 

Your Say