Top coach Lyon predicts 'brutal' GF

ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon says Saturday’s Toyota AFL Grand Final against Geelong will be a “brutal” encounter between the league’s two best teams.

"[Saturday is] going to be close, it's going to be tough, it's going to be brutal, there's going to be blood rules, there's going to be big collisions, but it's the way it's going to be played,” he said.

Lyon made his prediction at the AFL Coaches’ Association annual awards ceremony on Tuesday night, where he was named coach of the year for the first time.

He succeeded Geelong coach Mark Thompson, a two-time winner who will be doing his best to prevent Lyon’s Saints claiming their first premiership since 1966.

Both grand final coaches turned out at Crown, taking a break from the cagey press conferences, closed training runs and tense selection meetings that will fill the lead up to Saturday's clash.

Thompson paid credit to Lyon's Saints at the awards night, saying they had been the best side all year and it was fitting the two sides would clash on Saturday. 

"They're playing as a team, they've got great unity and they play contested ball – they're all very similar things to what we do," Thompson said. 

"So I think it's fitting that Geelong and St Kilda get the opportunity to play in the grand final, because we have been the two best teams.

"I think it's going to be a great game on the weekend."

Tough selection decisions loom for both coaches this week, and both said they would be the ones to deliver the bad news – Thompson tomorrow night and Lyon after Thursday's training session.

"Ultimately you have to do it, that's what you get paid to do and every coach has a responsibility to pick the best side to give their side a chance to win," Thompson said.

"We've got Mathew Stokes, who's fit and available to play, and we've got Ryan Gamble and Simon Hogan who probably deserve a game too."

For St Kilda, Lyon said he had a number of players deserving of a grand final call-up; testament to the individual improvement throughout his side this season.

"We worked really hard over the summer, there were some clear deficiencies we needed to fix – we were exposed in the finals, we needed individuals to improve," he said.

In front of more than 500 guests at Crown, Lyon also thanked his football staff at St Kilda and said he was grateful for the opportunity afforded him by Richmond to move into coaching 11 years ago when his playing career ended.