St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has aired his frustrations following a disappointing performance against Fremantle on Saturday.
The Saints fell to a wayward Dockers outfit by 17 points, with the travelling Western Australian side the dominant team of the second half to see out the win and hand Lyon's men their seventh defeat of 2024.
The Moorabbin club made six unforced changes from the side that fell to Hawthorn last week, with Lyon looking to reward the form of those on the fringes of selection.
The St Kilda coach conceded his team has "got a lot of work to do" over the coming weeks, with the Saints conceding 53 inside 50s to the Dockers that forced high pressure on their rearguard.
"We've got to try and reward form, we rewarded a bit. We'll look at who delivered," Lyon said post-game.ย "We will (continue to look at the squad), we're trying to stay positive.
"I thought the defenders tried to hang on, but it got there pretty quick. Some of our mid-patterns and high-forward patterns we didn't enjoy. They opened us up a bit.
"I thought Max King was pretty positive, looked a lot better tonight, attacked the ball really well.
"But we've got a lot of work to do. We're aware of it."
Young Saint Mattaes Phillipou has struggled to replicate the promising form on show in his maiden campaign, with the teenager kept to four touches and a goal on a difficult evening for him and his teammates.
Lyon said the former top 10 draft pick was "frustrated" as a result of the performance, with the Saints coach backing in the young prodigy to return to form.
"Mattaes got an opportunity, didn't grab it today. Bit frustrated," Lyon said.
"I know he's better than what we're seeing. He was happy to stay in the twos to play midfield again, but we thought we'd give him a midfield opportunity in the seniors because he's part of the future of the club.
"He didn't deliver today, but I'm sure he will in time."
The Saints are hopeful defender Jimmy Webster won't earn the ire of the Match Review Officer for a heavy collision involving Fremantle's Michael Frederick.
Frederick failed a HIA as a result of the marking contest, where Lyon believes Webster was rightfully contesting the ball at all times.
"The way I saw it, Jimmy had eyes for the ball and was going for the ball," the Saints coach said.
"It's a come forward to defend game. I've got confidence in the process and the system."
"Webster has his eyes on the ball...I think he'll be OK there."
Michael Frederick was subbed out after this collision with Jimmy Webster.#AFLSaintsFreo pic.twitter.com/elI9AUNHBE
— 7AFL (@7AFL) May 18, 2024
Dockers coach Justin Longmuir provided a positive update on Frederick after the win before also stating his view that Webster's involvement in the contest was a "footy act".
"He was good at half-time and after the game," Longmuir said of Dockers forward.
"Clearly a big collision. We'll monitor him and see how he goes.
"It felt like it was a footy act when I saw it."
Fremantle now sits outside of the top eight on percentage, while the Saints hold 14th place on the ladder and could fall further if Hawthorn and West Coast both claim wins on Sunday.
