Past Ross Lyon (1985-1995)

[Grimreepah]

Fitzroy Lions (1985 - 1994)
Brisbane Bears (1995)

 

[Grimreepah]

Wikipedia

Lyon began his career with Fitzroy in 1985 and played 127 games over the next ten years and a further two games with Brisbane in 1995 before retiring. As a player he battled constant injuries but was renowned for his fearless approach to the game in particular his strong tackling and fierce bump.

Career statistics

 

[Grimreepah]

Early life

Growing up in the working-class north had its hurdles and Lyon confronted his, not on the street as some may stereotype, but because of his ability to play sport.It's the warped view in the suburban jungle: the better you are, the bigger the target.
"Obviously, when you're a good junior athlete and most things you turn your hand to you're OK at, it sort of brings you under a bit of spotlight and in the northern suburbs that's not always a good thing," Lyon said.
"Someone was ready to smack you or pull your head in.
"So you probably learnt in the north that achievement at your high school wasn't the best thing to go about doing, so you tended to fly under the radar. Being an achiever really wasn't cool, so you let that go in a big group.
"And David Parkin was a really big influence when I got to Fitzroy. You know, that desire to be the best you can, and that it was good to compete and achieve and you weren't maligned because of it."

 

[Grimreepah]

Robert Shaw

Shaw coached Lyon in his final four seasons at Fitzroy and appointed him vice-captain. He described Lyon as the hardest player he ever worked with during his long coaching career. "He was the hardest player in terms of his approach to the game, his approach to the ball and his approach to the man," Shaw said. In fact Shaw said Lyon, who was renowned as a player for his strong tackling and ferocious bumping, could be "ruthless" when targeting opposition players for hard but legitimate punishment during his playing days. Shaw said Lyon was universally admired within the football industry. "Everyone who has come in contact with Ross Lyon knows they have been associated with one of the great people in football," he said.

 

[Grimreepah]

David Parkin

Parkin liked what he saw of Lyon as a footballer. "He was an interesting young bloke, into something like politics at university," Parkin said. "He was a highly intelligent bloke, too, with a real mean streak. Yes, it was encouraged by the coach." It was that combination that led to what Parkin described as "one of the worst things I've ever done in football". He was back at Princes Park as the visiting coach and one of his great warriors at Carlton, Wayne Johnston, "took out Jimmy Wynd at the first bounce".

"They put little Jimmy in a bag and carted him off." Parko's never been anything, if not colourful with his language. "I'd never been so angry. I didn't know what to do, so I rang down to my runner and said, 'Go and tell Rossy Lyon to make sure Wayne Johnston gets carted off in a bag'," Parkin said. "I couldn't have done it myself, but Rossy was good at that stuff. He tried three, maybe four times. He did everything he could, but, 'Jonno', being the player he was, just kept bouncing up. Then I got the phone call in the box from my runner, who said he had a message from Johnston. 'You'll have to do better than that if you're going to get me, ya' p---k'."

 

[Grimreepah]

Number 29

Aside from spectators taking a gamble on broad-shouldered farmboys, there was always a weight of responsibility that came with players personally inheriting a number - the stamp that would forever set them apart from the pack, or carry on a grand tradition. Back in the day, Ross Lyon had Gary Wilson's No. 29 bestowed upon him as a sign that Fitzroy recognised him as a future champion.

 

[Grimreepah]

Link to article

Ross Lyon was a courageous, tough footballer who I remember quite well. He was loved by the Fitzroy fans and respected by the general football public for his endeavour in trying circumstances; he did, after all, play for Fitzroy.

 

[Grimreepah]

Robert Walls

My association with Ross Lyon began in 1985, when as a teenager from Reservoir he broke into the senior Fitzroy team that I was coaching. He was 18, skilful and hard. He respected the older players and enjoyed mixing with the younger Paul Roos, Gary Pert and Richard Osborne. What we all liked was that on the football field he didn't take a backward step to anyone.

He gave 10 years and a lot of loyalty to the Roys, but when he saw the likes of Roos and Alastair Lynch leave the Lions he made his move too. He went to Brisbane. I coached Ross in his first game of senior football and also, as it turned out, his last. It was now 1995 and Lyon would play just two games as a Bear. In the first he got Brownlow votes. In the second he wrecked his knee and ended his playing career. It was sad. But he didn't grumble, just helped out his teammates as best he could.

 

[Grimreepah]

Draft fiasco damages Swans credibility

Top level mismanagement disqualified Sydney from exercising their second draft pick on Feb 21. The Swans grabbed former Fitzroy captain PAUL ROOS with the first pick, Freo were next, taking GREG MADIGAN from Hawthorn. Sydney had third choice and the room was stunned when Sydney recruiting manager Rob Snowden, instead of naming “ROSS LYON, Fitzroy” whispered “pass”.

Minutes before the Pre-Season draft commenced, the League confirmed that Sydney hadn’t done its simple homework. Under its salary cap of $2.3m (plus another $230,000 for player-relocation expenses) the moulting Swans didn’t have enough left to buy a beer — much less add any more players to their list.

Link

Ross Lyon had been originally going to join Paul Roos at Sydney but the Swanies' bean counters had run out of fingers and toes and he couldn't be squeezed under the salary cap. Sydney passed on their selection and Brisbane picked him up. Unfortunately his recovery from his knee injury was not successful, and he went to Richmond as skills coach, he was actually skills coach at Richmond while still listed at Brisbane because the Bears couldn't afford to delist him. Now he'd be a guy to ask about the merits of the draft system.

 

[LIONHART]

another sad day (there were plenty of them) when ross lyon left fitzroy.

i didn't realise how close to the end he left, i thought it was much earlier

 

[Bobby Beecroft]

Re: Clark to Fremantle trade discussion

Appearances can be deceiving, Lyon always appeared as a meek and mild sort of person.
Turns out he is scheming, money hungry liar.
If he has approached Mitch, knowing he was going to Freo that is now three clubs he has done the dirty on.

Meek & Mild - you obviously never saw him play.
He was a silent assassin, one of the toughest Fitzroy players of its modern era. I will always love the bloke & many other Fitzroy fans will be of the same opinion. On ya Rossy.

If Mitch is going he is going, we need to just get the best we can for him & use the spoils wisely. Nothing has really changed from a few hours ago in that regards.

 

[Loyal Lion]

Re: Clark to Fremantle trade discussion

Meek & Mild - you obviously never saw him play. He was a silent assassin, one of the toughest Fitzroy players of its modern era. I will always love the bloke & many other Fitzroy fans will be of the same opinion. On ya Rossy.

100% correct BB. When the ball was bounced in the centre square, Lyon used to run in & literally iron opposition players out. He ironed out 2 captains in successive weeks. Possibly Greg Healy & Tony Free...can't remember exactly.

He was an assasin but a generally tough player. Very laconic in the way he moved though.

 

[MICKYCONLAN]

Re: Clark to Fremantle trade discussion

Meek & Mild - you obviously never saw him play.
He was a silent assassin, one of the toughest Fitzroy players of its modern era. I will always love the bloke & many other Fitzroy fans will be of the same opinion. On ya Rossy.

I agree 100%. Very hard at the ball and opponent. Also very skillful. Certainly something unusual about him. One of my favourites too.