St Kilda boss Andrew Bassat has backed coach Ross Lyon’s unique press conferences, saying “stupid questions” from journalists fetch “stupid prizes”.

Lyon produced a divisive post-match press address after St Kilda suffered an agonising one-point loss to Adelaide on Saturday night.

He insisted the Saints had improved despite their 2-4 record, quizzing reporters on where each of their opponents finished last season.

The standoff sparked mixed reviews, headlined by former AFL player and leading agent Liam Pickering, who urged journalists to boycott Lyon’s conferences.

Bassat said Lyon responded better to an “intelligent and fair” line of questioning.

“Ross is an interesting person, overall I love Ross. He’s a very driven person, he really wants to win, he’s hungry,” Bassat told ABC Melbourne on Monday.

“It’s a pretty tough situation we put coaches in. We have a one-point loss, you don’t have much luck in the run and then you have to front an interview.

“I think Ross is much better with good questions than he is with bad questions. I have copped it myself from time to time when I ask a question he thinks is stupid.

“Ask stupid questions, win stupid prizes is his view.

“Ross wants to win, he’s put in a difficult situation. I think if he gets an intelligent and fair question he will respond to it fairly.

“But if he doesn’t he’s perhaps more honest than most coaches about the fact he doesn’t feel that way.”

St Kilda was promoted to Opening Round this year and welcomed its highest home-and-away crowd against Collingwood at the MCG.

Bassat said he was torn on the concept, wrestling between a dislike for it and fear of being excluded.

“I am a bit torn here because I don’t love the Opening Round concept where you really differentiate when sides start and the byes that come through it,” he said

“If there is going to be an Opening Round, we’d love being part of it. We requested that and the AFL agreed.

“That was great, we had a big crowd. Unfortunately, we lost but it was a good game to have.

“I would probably prefer not to have it but if you’re going to have it, I would prefer to be in it.”

Originally published as AFL 2026: St Kilda CEO Andrew Bassat defends Ross Lyon’s media style