Fremantle AFL coach Ross Lyon has reportedly been sacked, effective immediately.
The Dockers board reportedly notified the senior coach, who had a year to go on his contract, of its decision on Tuesday morning.
According to the reports, Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich has also been terminated with the team missing the finals for the fourth consecutive season.
The decision comes as somewhat of a bombshell.
Lyon was under huge pressure earlier this season after a run that saw his team lose five of their six games between rounds 14-19.
But his job seemed to be secure after guiding Fremantle to a famous 34-point win over Geelong in round 20.
Losses to St Kilda and Essendon over the past fortnight killed off Fremantle’s finals hopes but the general consensus was that Lyon had done enough to coach on in 2020.
However, it seems Fremantle will officially drop their sacking bombshell at a press conference on Tuesday at 1500 AEST.
The news is set to be a shock to Lyon himself, who earlier this season labelled himself as unsackable.
“I can guarantee you I’ll be around,” Lyon replied earlier this year when asked if he thought he would be Fremantle’s coach next year.
“My performance dictates we’ll be around. We’re a rebuilding team. We’re 7-8.”
Lyon guided Fremantle to finals action in his first four years at the club, including the 2013 grand final loss to Hawthorn.
But the Dockers fell off a cliff at the end of 2015 and haven’t made the finals since.
Rumours are rife that players including brothers Brad and Stephen Hill, Ed Langdon and Luke Ryan could leave the club.
Fremantle had made major improvements this season but it wasn’t enough to save Lyon’s job.
The Dockers lost nine games by 50 or more points last season.
This year, Fremantle have suffered just two big losses – a 91-point loss to West Coast in round 16 and a 47-point loss to the Bulldogs three weeks later.
Injuries to key players Jesse Hogan, Alex Pearce, Matt Taberner and Stephen Hill hurt Fremantle’s cause, but it was the team’s continued poor skill errors that frustrated fans the most.
© AAP 2019
