Saints legend takes on key role as expectations grow at Moorabbin

ST KILDA has promoted club great Lenny Hayes to the role of general manager of football ahead of the 2026 season. 

The Saints have been exploring a range of options to lead the football department at RSEA Park since David Misson departed the club in October.

Senior coach Ross Lyon will continue to oversee coaching and list management and work closely with Hayes, while chief strategy and growth officer Chris Ford will remain involved in football strategy and special projects after stepping up on an interim basis in the off-season.

Hayes returned to Moorabbin at the end of 2022 after almost a decade away from the club to coach the midfield, following a five-year stint as an assistant at Greater Western Sydney.

The 45-year-old played 297 games across 16 decorated seasons in the red, white and black, where he won three Trevor Barker Awards and was a three-time All-Australian before being inducted into St Kilda’s Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

While Port Adelaide and Gold Coast were also in the market in the off-season for a GM – and Melbourne added a chief of football and innovation before Christmas – St Kilda was comfortable taking time to make a decision, confident with the options they had in the building on Linton Street.

Saints president Andrew Bassat and CEO Carl Dilena identified Hayes as the best fit in December before announcing the appointment to the playing group on Thursday morning ahead of the first training session of 2026.

“It really started with Andrew Bassat and Carl looking into the role and what the requirements were for it. After they thrashed it out, that’s when I came into the conversation. It took a while to work our way through it,” Hayes told AFL.com.au on Thursday.

“The biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure I was the right person for the role. That was probably the most important thing – that the club was doing the right thing by its people. But after some discussions with AB, with Carl and with Ross, I felt comfortable putting my hand up for it.

“I’m not doing this just to further my career, I’m doing this because I feel I can make a difference in the role. I want the club to do really well, that’s why I put my hand up. I’m thrilled to get the appointment.”

Lyon’s adoration of Hayes is universally known. The champion midfielder almost helped end St Kilda’s long pursuit of a second premiership – which has now entered a 60th year – in 2009 and 2010. But now the relationship has entered a different chapter.

“It is going to add another layer to our relationship. We’ve known each other (for) a long time and been through some good times and difficult times together. I think we’ve got a deep respect for each other and what each other brings,” Hayes said.

“I think we can really complement each other and work really well together. I’m excited by it. No doubt there will be some challenges in footy, there always is in every season, but (I’m) confident we can work through it together.”

After being appointed during the Brett Ratten regime, months before Lyon returned for a second stint at Moorabbin, Hayes moved from a line coach to development at the end of 2023 for family reasons and spent 2024 and 2025 in that area alongside Damian Carroll and Brendon Goddard.

Hayes has three sons and the youngest, Samuel, has a rare disorder, which was why he stepped back at the end of the 2023 season. But now the time is right for Hayes to take another step forward in his professional career.

“I’m at a point now where I am a bit more open about it, but it was a big consideration with taking on a role like this,” he explained. “The club has been really supportive of our journey with our three-year-old son (in) the last few years. It has been a challenging period.

“That has thrown some different challenges at us over the last couple of years, but I feel like we’re at the point now where we’ve got a diagnosis, we’ve got some support around my family for my wife and for me and my other two boys, and most importantly, for Samuel.

“I wouldn’t put my hand up for something like this if I didn’t feel like that was in a good space. The club has been really good with making sure I prioritise my time really well so I can be with my family when I need to be.”

St Kilda reported back for pre-season training on Thursday morning and started the new year with a customary 3km time-trial around Moorabbin athletics track, where endurance king Darcy Wilson led the field home ahead of Tobie Travaglia and Ryan Byrnes.

Expectations have escalated at RSEA Park ahead of Lyon’s fourth season back at the club, following a busy trade and free agency window that netted Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni from Carlton as well as in-demand midfielder Sam Flanders and All-Australian small forward Liam Ryan.

Hayes’ new role will include fielding questions from reporters and broadcasters weekly on how St Kilda is progressing in 2026. Brisbane football boss Danny Daly and Melbourne Storm GM Frank Ponissi are two he has admired from afar for a no-nonsense approach.

On his first day as an administrator, instead of a coach, Hayes said he is confident the Saints are heading in the right direction after another off-season of change.

“I think there is a real belief that we have added to the list and have assembled a group that will allow us to keep improving. We are capable of that. The training pre-Christmas was realty strong and if today is any indication, they are a driven group in their time off,” he said.

“We are really excited. We know the competition is pretty tight, everyone is looking for those little margins to get better, but we are in a good space and feel like we’ve drafted well in the last few years and have got some games into those guys. No doubt there is a lot of hard work still do.