CarltonbosssoundsoutLyonfor coach’s job
NEW Carlton president Luke Sayers has revealed he had a long conversation with Ross Lyon on Thursday night about the club’s vacant coaching position.
Lyon confirmed he would “put his hat in the ring” to be David Teague’s successor during the 45-minute phone chat with Sayers, who refused to say if they had previously spoken.
Sayers also said he was the one who rang Lyon but he had never welcomed the former Fremantle and St Kilda coach into his Hawthorn home.
“I’m not going into all the conversations I’ve had with a multitude of players and coaches and so on and so forth over the last four, six, eight weeks,” Sayers told SEN.
“But now we pivot and we’re looking for the best coach we can possibly get; to get a fantastic group winning games, into the finals next year and away we go.
“I’m not sure we have a No.1 (coaching) priority. We’re going to look at a number of different coaches, I’m sure. Greg Williams is going to lead that process, as our new, incoming football director.
“We’ll wrap a couple of board members around him – maybe also some non-board members – but I am trying to accelerate through the process, so we can make sure we’re all set up from a coaching perspective by the time the boys come back later this year.”
Sayers and Williams will contact the other coaching contenders by the end of Friday, but the president was unable to say how many were in the running.
Alastair Clarkson is not expected to be part of the process after his manager, James Henderson, confirmed the fourtime Hawthorn premiership coach planned to take a year off football.
Sayers said the board could meet Friday or Saturday for talks on the coaching job.