The directive from Ross Lyon couldn’t be clearer for day one of pre-season: everyone is on notice to improve, coach included.

St Kilda’s first-to-fourth-year players braved icy winds on their first official day back at the club in anticipation for Season 2023, with the 12-strong group – accompanied by several senior players including Bradley Hill and Dan Butler – looking to get on the front foot under their new head coach.

“All of us need to improve, there’s a gap to the rest of the competition: the top-four, the top-eight and clearly the Premiership team,” Lyon said at this morning’s press conference.

“There is not a person in St Kilda Football Club that really doesn’t need to improve, including myself. I acknowledge that I’ve fallen short and got very close, so I’m really determined to improve and do it better.

“We’re certainly not drilling into anyone’s individual strengths and weaknesses at the moment, it’s about everyone coming back, rolling up the sleeves and getting to work.

“It’s been about establishing a global program for the whole group that we think is going to get them to the line fit and available. There’s a lot of hard work to be done.”

Lyon was joined at this morning’s session by new assistant coaches Robert Harvey and Lenny Hayes, plus development coach Brendon Goddard, with the all three taking an active part in drills across the ground.

The Saints will engage in a team-wide meeting this afternoon to flesh out the expectations and requirements of the year ahead, with the trio of newcomers set to be key voices in establishing those non-negotiable parameters.

“We’ve put together a coaching group that we feel are real cultural drivers and I think it’s as good as anything going around in the AFL. It’s elite from my perspective,” Lyon said.

“It’s about the Xs and Os… that mentality of AFL preparation and what it takes.

“Everyone looks at models, and you look at the Swans and Geelong who have had long-term, sustainable success, they bring back people who have been cultural drivers as players.

"They don’t just bring anyone back, they bring back those who lead and drove the direction of the playing group. The people that I’ve brought back sit in that category.

“They know what it smells like, feels like, looks like, and they can help edge our players towards that path.”