Simon says.....

[Sanctorum]

The following article is an interview by Herald-Sun jounalist Lauren Wood, it is an in-depth view into the current status of the club by CEO Simon Lethlean covering a wide range of topics. It is so good to see positive articles in the papers about our footy club, such a contrast from the previous years.

"The thrill of the chase...it gets you up in the morning"

St Kilda has declared its door is open and phone is on ahead of a trade period in which it eyes an elite midfield target. And it is anything but resigned to losing
forward Jade Gresham, with chief executive Simon Lethlean saying there is “every chance” the goalsneak stays despite significant interest from Essendon.

In a wide-ranging interview to review the Saints’ season – that ended in an elimination final loss to GWS Giants – Lethlean recounts his first year at the helm of the club, the state of the club’s playing list, opens up on his relationship with senior coach Ross Lyon and the club’s determination to continue eliminating its debt.

THE SEASON

St Kilda was never outside the top 8 this season, having appointed Ross Lyon at the end of last season after sensationally sacking former coach Brett Ratten in a shock move last October. While seeing September action in Lyon’s first season at the helm was significant, Lethlean maintained the club was anything but satisfied by finishing in the first weekend of finals.

“It’s funny how fast you finish when you make it, ”Lethlean said.

“That’s the beauty of the bye I reckon – you get a chance for your fans and members to enjoy the lead-up. Because when you’re out, you’re out quick.

“If you told us we’d finish sixth or seventh this time last year, that’s a pleasing result given we made significant change – not just to the program but in, some ways, the whole club.”

It was Lethlean’s first full year as CEO, with a virtually entirely new coaching department bar backline coach Corey Enright and new list management team and fitness staff.

“So what’s the wash-up? Made the finals, haven’t done so for a while in Victoria, gave our fans some hope,” he said.

“They supported us and broke the club membership record again. The revenues and the sponsorship of the club are in good shape.”

THE LIST

Lethlean’s greatest positive of the season came out of necessity. With injuries to key players early in the season – including forward pair Max King and Tim Membrey on an injury list that included some 14 players before round 1 – there was little option but to turn to youth. That next generation produced five wins
from the first six games.

“The main thing for me is the emergence of five or six guys who have a really big future for the club. (Mitch) Owens, (Marcus) Windhager, (Mattaes) Phillipou,
Nasiah (Wanganeen-Milera), throw in King, (Anthony) Caminiti and Cooper Sharman and there’s a really strong core we can build around, ” Lethlean said.

“They probably got their chance at the start of the year, those guys, when we had a big injury list and that was a concern but they took their opportunity and you look back and we won the most games in that part of the year when lots of good players weren’t available.

“It was really pleasing and a great credit to Ross and his coaching staff and the game plan to be able to stand up and we really only had two performances about which you look back and think were disappointing – Adelaide (Round 9) and Gold Coast (Round 18). We were hard to beat, we played well and the players have bought in to what Ross demands which is high commitment, high standards, work hard, run hard, defend hard.

“It was a very pleasing year from that regard without being content that that’s good enough.”

THE TRADE PERIOD

The upcoming weeks of player movement will see St Kilda “be as aggressive as we can be with every lever we have got”, according to Lethlean.

So what does that mean?

“It’s keeping your picks and staying in the draft, and losing players who don’t want to stay or bring you better value, and also assessing the market for who might want to come ” he said.

“That’s a pretty basic answer, but it’s just the truth. You need to be nimble enough to take advantage of whichever lever becomes available to you. We’ve seen from Phillipou, Wangeneen and to a lesser extent where we got Owens and Windhager in the 30s and 40s, how good youth can be for your future. We’re not going to give away our early draft picks, because we need them.

“How that jigsaw puzzle takes shape over the next six weeks, it’s sort of who knows? You can’t crystal ball it other than to say you’re available for the
conversations and we’re going to try to get better.”

St Kilda has been heavily linked to Essendon midfielder Dylan Shiel. Lethlean wouldn’t talk specific names but was clear in the club’s wish to add some cream to a midfield led by skipper Jack Steele.

“There’s no doubt matches are won through elite midfielders,” he said.

“We would say we have a strong midfield but without being disparaging, it needs to be at a higher-end in some of the spots to compete.

“When you play against (Josh) Dunkley, (Will) Ashcroft, (Lachie) Neale (at Brisbane) ... and (Zak) Butters, (Connor) Rozee, (Jason) Horne-Francis and (Ollie)
Wines (at Port Adelaide), it’s like – you’ve got to be at that level. Our guys have had a good year, Steeley’s had disruption, (Brad) Crouch had a good year. (Seb) Ross and others have been really serviceable for us but we need to keep getting better there.

“If you stand still there, you don’t get up. No matter how good your current crop are. You’d like to think with Caminiti, King, Sharman, you’ve got some forwards who are solid and our backs – Wilkie leading the charge down there and some great distributors in Wilkie and Sinclair and Nasiah. We’ve got the runners, we’ve just got to keep adding to the mids and ensuring we have the right pillars at both ends.”

So what of Gresham, a free agent?

“There’s every chance he stays, but he’s got the right to check the market for what’s best for him, ” Lethlean said.

“As do we, and where that lands in the next four or five weeks, who knows? I suppose also, you don’t need to be too scared about losing good players, too.
The uproar around the players Collingwood lost a few years ago hasn’t really hurt them.

“It’s not the end of the world, but you don’t want to lose good people. If Gresh stays, for the right reasons, then terrific.”

THE ROSS RELATIONSHIP

Reports of disharmony between Lethlean and Lyon emerged mid-season and were denied by both. There’s “robustness”, yes, though the long-time administrator reckons that’s par for the course.

“I don’t even know what the whole thing was ... I don’t know who else needed to deny whatever it might have been. Either way, that’s footy, ” he said.

“I’m a one-year CEO, and I’m learning more from Ross and how he wants to run football than I’m sure he’s learning from me about how to run a footy club. I take a lot of learnings. He and I are getting used to working with each other, too, in a good way – not a bad way. I sat next to Ross at the Brownlow for five hours and chuckled for 4.5 of them about the engaging guy he is, but also the thoughts he’s got on people and footy.

“I’m learning every day. I’ve got no problem with there being some robustness to it. If there’s not, then I wouldn’t be doing my job, and if Ross just wants to hear my thoughts and agree with them all, then he’s not doing his.”

But he maintains the pair is “in a good place”, evidenced by their banter at the announcement of the club’s new major sponsor this week.

“We just had a finals campaign off the back of a tumultuous summer and I just see growth and development here for both of us but mainly me,” Lethlean said.

“I’m OK with that.”

THE JOB

Lethlean took the reins from long-time Saints chief executive Matt Finnis at the end of last season – his first time in the drivers’ seat at a club after a long stint at the AFL, then time as the Saints’ head of footy and chief operating officer. It’s less footy, more business for the former VAFA player but he remains
fuelled by “the thrill of the chase” at the success-starved Saints.

“I will always have a soft spot for the AFL – loved working there, thrilled for Andrew Dillon (who is taking over from Gillon McLachlan as CEO),” he said.

“I’m so happy where I am. The thrill of the chase with the Saints to win ... it gets you up in the morning.

“There’s one mountain left to climb in the AFL and that’s the Saints winning a second flag. If I can have any role in that between now and whenever it happens, that’ll be pretty rewarding. That’s my focus.

“We’ve got the best AFL facilities, in the middle of bayside Melbourne, with a coach people respect, playing list that’s up for it and staff that work their
backsides off.”

The club’s AFL Women’s outfit started the season 0-3 under coach Nick Dal Santo but has notched a quinella of wins in the past fortnight.

“It was great reward for him and (women’s footy boss) Tess McManus, who put their heart and soul in,” Lethlean said.

THE MONEY

St Kilda has a “new player” in its midst, this week signing Chery as the club’s first-ever automotive partner to feature on both men’s and women’s jumpers for
the next three years. “They’re a new player in the market and hopefully they recognise we’re on the up again too, ” Lethlean said. “We’ve got a finalist team and that hopefully we keep delivering.”

The Saints long had a debt that was upwards of $10 million with Lethlean revealing the club has reined the $13 million figure in to $6 million and counting with a “modest” profit forecast this year. But he knows it will be football success – as evidenced by Collingwood on Saturday – that will be the ultimate
coffer-booster.

“We hosted a game at the MCG in Round 3 for our 150th year and got 70,000 people and a million-dollar match return,” he said. “(To have) 70,000 at the ’G 11 times like the Pies do for $1 million a pop is a good way to live. But we don’t live in that space. We live in a space where we have 20,000 people at Marvel
sometimes.

“That is the very appropriate reason why there is competitive balance and variable funding models. They’re not hand-outs. They’re actually designed to make the fixture more equitable and supporter bases taken into account.

“We don’t overspend. We’ve got a lean staff. In surplus for resourcing. We do it lean. We’re doing OK and our fans should be proud of the debt we’ve wiped off in hard times and we keep pushing through it.”

[Vortex]

The last 3 paragraphs are why we will always struggle to procure a list capable of contending.

Not a good time for the CEO to be reminding player managers of such club attributes.

[SaintPav]

I enjoyed the bit on chasing skirt in the office.

[Vortex]

I enjoyed the bit on chasing skirt in the office.

He goes after what he wants, the perfect CEO

[Yorkeys]

Appears Simon gets prickly at constructive criticism.
He has made shocking howlers we know about, goodness knows what we don't know. Needs to own them and move on.
Good the club moved him a step away from direct footy operations; he has networks and business smarts, has seen Demetriou and Gill operate - all useful Machiavellian experience - knows Dillion well, but its good he will not have to interact with Laura Kane, she might have sour opinions on his past.
I presume he understands that if Ross fails its mutual career destruction, so let the cobbler cobble and leave second guessing for "expert" commentators.
There seems evidence that some players have been wagging the tail for quite a while under Simon and the change is making some uncomfortable. But where are they jumping to....
Bring out your dead; then go for new blood and fresh mindsets. The year of exploration may have been about understanding players attitudes and ability to change as much as being able to kick the footy.

[Vortex]

A couple of points if I may...

Good the club moved him a step away from direct footy operations;

Though upon reading the article posted at the OP you'd swear he's the coach, very detailed commentary on all things football don't you think? not that there is anything wrong with that, he is the CEO of a football club afterall.

Laura Kane, she might have sour opinions on his past.

Hey you never know, there could also be some very fond opinions on his past, we just will never know.

[samuraisaint]

Don't remember us getting only 20,000 at Docklands for a game.
There was 22 or 23,000 at the second Hawthorn match, but that was their home game, not ours. Maybe the game we played North in the first time which was their home fixture, but still, our crowds were very decent.

[Sanctorum]

Why all the negativism about the CEO??

Here we get to read a very positive update on how the club and team are progressing, something that I haven't seen written about any of the other lower ranked teams, and all people can do is crticise the bloke.

But maybe that's the mindset of the average St Kilda supporter on this forum, an innert inability to see anything worthwhile in the club's coaches/mamagers/president and board members.

How pathetic

[Yorkeys]

Why all the negativism about the CEO??

Here we get to read a very positive update on how the club and team are progressing, something that I haven't seen written about any of the other lower ranked teams, and all people can do is crticise the bloke.

But maybe that's the mindset of the average St Kilda supporter on this forum, an innert inability to see anything worthwhile in the club's coaches/mamagers/president and board members.

How pathetic

Hannebery, Acres, wishy washy reviews, arguing with Ross, making the Pres intervene, Spud games lead up leaving players flat, allowing the tribunal to walk all over us, not giving Ratts enough moral support.......

[King Max]

Don't remember us getting only 20,000 at Docklands for a game.
There was 22 or 23,000 at the second Hawthorn match, but that was their home game, not ours. Maybe the game we played North in the first time which was their home fixture, but still, our crowds were very decent.

Round 19 home against North 18,279
Round 4 suns 21049

[samuraisaint]

Don't remember us getting only 20,000 at Docklands for a game.
There was 22 or 23,000 at the second Hawthorn match, but that was their home game, not ours. Maybe the game we played North in the first time which was their home fixture, but still, our crowds were very decent.

Round 19 home against North 18,279
Round 4 suns 21049

Fair enough - and I was at both of those matches as well. Must just have been selective memory.