‘Load of s**t’: Inside 7-year AFL ‘spat’ now going nuclear amid fears draft being ‘destroyed’

A tweet posted by St Kilda’s official account in 2018 is thought to have lit the initial fuse to a feud between the Saints and Gold Coast Suns, which was reheated on Sunday thanks to a cheeky Ross Lyon jab.

During a pre-game Fox Footy interview before the Suns beat the Saints at Marvel Stadium, Lyon referred to Gold Coast as the AFL’s “nepo baby”.

The barb prompted a miffed Damien Hardwick to say post-game: “It’s a little bit disrespectful, I think. What St Kilda should probably do is just make sure they focus on their own backyard instead of trying to bring everyone else down. They had 13,000 people here today.”

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Suns chief executive Mark Evans went even harder, telling SEN on Monday: “I thought the comments were offensive and out of order … offensive in that the word implies corruption and favouritism, so that really stabs at the club’s hard work over a lot of years.” Former chairman Tony Cochrane called it “a load of s***”.

On Fox Footy’s On the Couch, the war of words was unpacked further, including what is believed to be the source of the beef on either side.

“This spat got even spicier today … the former (Suns) chairman Tony Cochrane said that (those comments) were s*** and brought the game into disrepute, and St Kilda’s boss Carl Dilena said that St Kilda is just starting its fight,” began Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph on Fox Footy before detailing his conversations with the respective club bosses.

“I spoke to both chief executives today — Dilena says St Kilda, by 2027, when Tasmania’s draft picks come in and of course these Academy picks continue, their first-round pick will be something like Pick 40.

“Now, as he says, that totally destroys any of the equalisation properties of the draft. So, the Saints will lobby at AFL House, they will lobby the AFL Commission.

“One of their proposals is that you would not be able to access a father-son (prospect) if you finished top-four (that season).”

It comes as Brisbane is set to nab another future star midfielder in Daniel Annable at this year’s national draft, having also snapped up Will and Levi Ashcroft, as well as Jaspa Fletcher.

“Dilena says ‘we like the romance of the father-son rule, we’re not suggesting the AFL should get rid of it, but should a premiership team be able to pick up the best kid in the land?’” Ralph continued, before going on to explain the feud from the Suns’ perspective.

“So, why did this touch such a raw nerve with Gold Coast? Well, eight or nine years ago, (the Suns) lost their co-captains in (Tom) Lynch and (Steven) May, they drafted Ben King, and St Kilda tweeted five or 10 minutes later (after the draft selection) about Ben King coming back and being reunited two years later with his brother.

“They (the Suns) knew then that they needed to get creative and expand upon an Academy which now sees them tipping $2 million into it.

“So, they haven’t got father-sons, they haven’t got free agents, they’re really struggling to sign up Matt Rowell … so they basically say ‘this (the Academy) is our only advantage’.

“Privately, they think that St Kilda is sooking about some of their own bad trade decisions — one of those is Ben Long, who went from St Kilda to Gold Coast and is absolutely thriving.”

The Saints’ cheeky 2018 draft night tweet was quickly deleted.

Of Lyon’s sledge, former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley jokingly said: “I think not every idea that a coach has — like the funny little quips that you think of in your head — not all of them need to come out of your mouth.

“As the day’s gone on, I wonder if it was deliberate. I wonder if it was designed to have an impact and to create the discussion that we’re having now.”

Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown highlighted the fact Lyon’s commentary was pointed at the Suns having received plenty of AFL handouts.

“He (Lyon) is promoting what his president (Andrew Bassat) spoke about,” Brown said. “So, he’s backing his president, no question about that.

“He (Bassat) has spoken about the inequities of the draft and all the things related around the draft going forward, but I did have a laugh when Ross brought it up.

“And ‘Dimma’ made out like he didn’t know about it and then fired about four bullets he had ready to go in the chamber.

“Isn’t that what coaches are supposed to do, though, stick up for their club? Ross Lyon firing a shot at the AFL, he’s sticking up for his club. Damien Hardwick … sticking up for his club … (there’s) a great theatre about it.”

Four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis said Lyon’s comment was “certainly planned”.

“We don’t talk about the Gold Coast Suns all that much down here, right? But now we’re talking about them, and now they’re on the map, and they’ve got some substance behind some of the topics that arise throughout the AFL season — I love it,” Lewis said.

‘I think it’s been a gift, in a way, to the Gold Coast Suns, to maybe create a little rivalry, but (also) … St Kilda might be public enemy number one now.”

Gold Coast’s recent Academy graduates who played against St Kilda included: Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Sam Clohesy, Bodhi Uwland, Joel Jeffrey and Malcolm Rosas.

“Those younger players are coming along, but they haven’t been the difference as to why the Suns are going well at the moment,” Brown added.

“So, I wouldn’t just hang my hat on the Gold Coast Suns Academy players are the reason that they’re sitting in the top three.”

Buckley countered: “It’s a quarter of their team, so it’s not a small part.”

Brown replied: “But that doesn’t mean that they’d be playing with 14 people out there. They would’ve had draft (picks) from around the country as well. Those players, yes, they’ve got potential, big futures hopefully, but they’re not stars of the game.”