Brett Ratten has hit back at criticism of his St Kilda reign, saying Saints legend Nick Riewoldt wouldn’t know how the club functioned during that time as he only turned up for “free physio”.
Ahead of his return to St Kilda on Sunday, nine months after being brutally sacked by the club, Ratten has defended his record.
Riewoldt, who is living in the United States this year after giving up most of his media commitments in Australia, this week strongly defended current St Kilda coach Ross Lyon as the Saints cling onto their place in the top-eight.
“I can promise you now, the standards in that joint (St Kilda) over the last however long have been sub-par,” the former Saints captain, who played under Lyon for five seasons, told the Footy Talk podcast.
“They (St Kilda) have absolutely gone forward this year.”
Brett Ratten last year at St Kilda. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Photos via Getty Images )
But Ratten – sacked by St Kilda last October, less than 100 days after signing a two-year extension to remain at Moorabbin – fired back.
“The only time he (Riewoldt) came was for free physio, that’s the only time he was at the club, so I don’t know where he saw those standards,” Ratten said on Wednesday.
“What can happen at footy clubs, and in life, is second-hand information can be distributed in the way (people) want. That’s his opinion, I can’t change it.”
After being swiftly replaced as coach by St Kilda’s prodigal son Lyon, Ratten took up a part-time role working under Alastair Clarkson at North Melbourne.
He quickly found himself in charge of a third AFL club in May when Clarkson took mental-health leave as the Hawthorn racism saga was investigated.
North on Wednesday announced Clarkson will resume full-time coaching and take the job back from Ratten ahead of the Kangaroos’ round-21 clash with Melbourne.
Alastair Clarkson. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
“I knew through this period, I didn’t know when, but Clarko was coming back,” Ratten said. “I knew it was going to come to an end and now it’s a couple of weeks away.
“I didn’t get the chance last time to say goodbye (at St Kilda) and this is a good opportunity to just enjoy the last couple of weeks.”
The 55-year-old deliberately avoided North’s game against Hawthorn last Sunday due to simmering tensions with his former club. A week before taking leave on May 18, Clarkson slammed Hawthorn as “shameful”, calling for an investigation into the club’s handling of the long-running racism saga, saying reputations had been “scarred” by the process.
The AFL has since announced no adverse findings against Clarkson, Chris Fagan or Jason Burt over the allegations levelled at the former Hawks trio.
The three men have denied any wrongdoing over the claims, which were raised via an ABC report last September.
Scott no fan of wildcard round idea
Geelong coach Chris Scott believes the AFL is already a “compromised” competition and a proposed wildcard round would only further hurt the league’s integrity.
A day after his twin brother, Essendon coach Brad Scott, slammed the concept, the reigning premiership mentor went even harder.
“We just have, in elite sport by global standards, one of the most compromised competitions that you can possibly imagine,” Chris Scott said on Wednesday. “Uneven numbers (of games against opponents), let’s just throw in a Gather Round, compromise the competition even more, if these things are really, really important… they are worthy of thought.
“I would just ask the integrity of the competition is given as much thought.”
Incoming AFL boss Andrew Dillon raised the idea of an American-style format after the home-and-away season when he met with the league’s chief executives this week.
Chris Scott addresses his Geelong side. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The NBA introduced a play-in tournament in 2020, pitting teams ranked seventh to 10th in each conference against each other for the last two spots in the top-eight for the playoffs.
It comes as just one-and-a-half games separate fifth-placed Geelong and Gold Coast in 13th as teams outside the top four scrap for the remaining four positions in finals.
The AFL increased the season this year, adding in an extra game for each club to accommodate Gather Round in South Australia. Scott believed it would be unfair for teams outside of SA to have to play Adelaide and Port Adelaide in Gather Round on a weekend that is supposed to be neutral.
“Maybe when you’re administering a competition the integrity of the actual, and the fairness of the draw, should be pretty close to your number one priority,” he said.
“Usain Bolt doesn’t start at a 10-metre disadvantage in the Olympics final just because he’s better than everyone else, but we’re sort of forced into that situation because it’s probably right that if Collingwood win the premiership that they shouldn’t have the easiest draw the following year.”
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon sat on the fence, saying the club is yet to formalise its position on the matter.
“I heard Brad Scott’s response about inequity and I don’t know, I think if you’re the club that gets a wildcard at the end you’d be rapt,” Lyon said. “And if you’re the team that sits in the finals and the wildcard team beats you, you’d be flat as a tack.”
Steele at a loss for shocking Saints form
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has forecast multiple changes to his team to face North Melbourne as the Saints seek a remedy to the scoring woes that have put their AFL finals hopes in jeopardy.
Lyon concedes St Kilda reached a “tipping point” in last week’s error-riddled loss to Gold Coast, when they managed just 11 scoring shots for a season-low 51 points.
The Saints (sixth) are clinging to their top-eight spot but only the bottom three clubs – West Coast, North Melbourne and Hawthorn – have scored fewer points through 18 rounds.
Jack Higgins (knee) and Jack Billings (thumb) are set to return in attack for St Kilda against the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, while Jack Hayes is in consideration after playing a reserves scratch match last week.
But Zaine Cordy is likely to miss a second week because of concussion.
“We spoke to the players – we think there needs to be some changes,” Lyon said.
“We’ve been quite stable but there’s people that have played well and are in form that we’ll bring in.”
Key forwards Max King (shoulder) and Tim Membrey (knee) are both at least three weeks away from returning.
St Kilda enjoyed a 4-0 start to Lyon’s second stint at the helm, but have since gone 5-8 and failed to win consecutive matches.
The opportunity presents for the Saints to bounce back in clashes with North (17th) and Hawthorn (16th) over the next fortnight.
It comes after Lyon tore strips off his side following the Gold Coast loss, saying his “fumbling, stumbling mess” of a team doesn’t deserve to play finals on current form.
Jack Steele looks dejected after a St Kilda loss. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“I used some emotive language after the game because I was really disappointed in how I got the players to the line and how they played,” Lyon said.
“I just thought we fumbled a lot and we did stumble a lot.
“We wouldn’t deserve to play finals … but we can earn the right.”
Lyon also dismissed reports of disharmony and friction between he and Saints CEO Simon Lethlean, which have surfaced in recent days.
“There’s been some change (at the club) and with change, I wouldn’t say there’s unhappiness, but sometimes not everyone’s comfortable with change,” Lyon said.
“But from my end and Simon’s end, we’re fine … I haven’t had one raised word with Simon since I’ve been here. That’s the truth.”
Dockers ponder how to fill Sean Darcy ruck void
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is hopeful Luke Jackson’s body is strong enough to handle the No.1 ruck mantle in the absence of big man Sean Darcy.
Darcy will miss at least the next two games after injuring his right ankle in last week’s 46-point AFL loss to Collingwood.
Jackson, who has played predominantly as a forward this year, endured hip soreness when he was forced to lead the ruck in Darcy’s absence earlier this season.
If Longmuir wants to keep Jackson up forward, he has the option of handing 23-year-old rookie ruckman Liam Reidy an AFL debut for Saturday night’s clash with Sydney in Perth.
But Longmuir is confident Jackson will be able to handle the bulk of the ruck duties if needed.
“Some of the (previous) concerns were caused off the back of his spike in ruck loads,” Longmuir said of Jackson’s hip complaint from earlier this season.
“He went from being a second ruck and doing minimal ruck while playing mostly forward, to all of ruck. It was a big jump, which he wasn’t used to.
(Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“This time, hopefully, he’s used to it. He’s already been through it and he’s had that taste for being the No.1 ruck, and his body is up to it.”
Reidy, who is listed at 204cm and 104kg, tallied 39 hitouts and seven disposals in his most recent WAFL hitout.
“He probably started the year a little bit slow. He’s (had) a few hiccups along the way,” Longmuir said of Reidy, who was pick No.11 in the 2023 rookie draft.
“But he’s had some consistency over the last three or four weeks, which is going to put him in the discussion (for a senior call-up this week).
“Physically (he’s ready). It’s just a matter of whether the craft is up to the level to be able to give us the best opportunity to succeed around clearance and compete the way we want to compete.
“Clearly Luke (Jackson) is our second-best ruck on the list, we just have to weigh up whether he’s best served in the ruck or forward.”
Defender Brandon Walker will miss the rest of the season with a serious patella tendon problem in his right knee, while fellow backman Brennan Cox is still sidelined by an ankle injury.
But Hayden Young (ankle) and Michael Frederick (soreness) are set to return against the Swans, along with star midfielder Caleb Serong (suspension).
Defender Heath Chapman, who has been sidelined since round three with soft-tissue injuries, is on track to play some minutes in the WAFL this weekend.
© AAP
