St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is doing his best to focus on footy as a verbal war between his predecessor Grant Thomas and club officials rages.
A frustrated Lyon refused to weigh into the stoush between Thomas - who was axed at the end of last season - and the man who sacked him, Saints president Rod Butterss.
"I'm just focused on winning games of footy," Lyon told the media at Moorabbin on Wednesday afternoon.
"My sole focus, and it has been since I walked in the door, is to work with the playing group to deliver a style of footy that will achieve success."
"At the moment we're 4-6, playing a strong club and team in the Kangaroos, and I want to try and be 5-6 come Sunday night."
"I've got no real opinion on it (the Butterss-Thomas spat). If you want to pursue what occurred on radio this morning you speak to the president and you speak to the executives."
Lyon said he had no issue with Thomas and had not directed them to avoid contact with the former coach.
"I was asked about Grant Thomas early in the year and all I have said to my player group is 'you can have contact with anyone you like in the world, as long you respect confidentiality of our club and our player group and our leadership'," he said.
"If that trust is broken it's a long way back. There's no one here, to my knowledge, that has broken my trust. I don't lay in bed at night worrying about who my players are talking to."
Despite all the controversies and three straight losses the Saints head into Sunday's showdown with the Kangaroos favourites with the bookies, a turn-up for Lyon.
"It does (surprise me). Kangaroos have won six out of their last seven and we've lost our last three," he said.
"They sit in the eight, we're 4-6. But the bookies know their business better than me."
Injuries have hit Lyon hard in his maiden season at the helm.
He is hoping to reintroduce ruckman Matthew Clarke while Xavier Clarke remains unlikely.
"Leigh Fisher went off with a hamstring (against Geelong last weekend). He's still a slight chance, it's not significant, it was back-related," Lyon said.
"Some really good stuff is going on here. We've had (Aaron) Hamill on the track, (Matthew) Maguire on the track, so they're all looking to play at North Ballarat in the next couple of weeks."
"In a sense the (mid-season) break will be handy for us to give our 're-habbing' players a week where they don't miss a senior game of footy."
"In saying that we've been terribly disappointed with the way we've finished off games. The senior players and myself recognise it's been unacceptable finishes to games, we're trying to rectify that with our work on the track."