Former Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has once again refused to rule out a return to the AFL coaching ranks as pressure mounts on Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley.

Lyon, who coached 172 wins from 205 games across 13 seasons at St Kilda and the Dockers, has been linked to a coaching comeback ever since he was sacked by the latter before the end of the 2019 season.

There is speculation that the Magpies are eyeing off Lyon to replace Buckley, who is under serious pressure after Collingwood lost to Gold Coast at the weekend, their fifth-consecutive defeat.

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When questioned about whether he had the drive or passion to once again step back into the hotseat, Lyon replied in a typical fashion of puzzles and possibilities rather than giving straight answer.

“I’m not in the equation I would have thought, but 12 months out I’m a bit fresher,” Lyon told Triple M.

“The only way I would even consider doing it, even consider, there’s a few assistants that I really respect their knowledge and what they’re capable of.

“There’d be an offensive coach that I think ‘yep, he could really complement’.

“I would need people that aren’t to the line guys, that are over the line, are really competent in their areas, so you can get to the playing group, you can work on the dynamic.

“Football, those head coaches and coaches are working harder than ever again because the soft cap’s been slaughtered.

“So you’re working like you did eight years ago. The last three years I had someone to make me a coffee to be honest, but now, so you’d need quality assistants.”

Lyon did express concerns about where Collingwood thought they were at as a football club considering their on-field performances to date in 2021.

“You walk into Collingwood and they’re still saying they want to be playing finals,” he said.

“I think you’ve got to get what’s your expectation from the president through.

“Why are we talking about (North Melbourne coach) David Noble? Why are we talking about Buckley? Because we’re talking about what expectation is set.

“(Richmond coach) Damien Hardwick sat there for the first five under no pressure.”

North Melbourne great Wayne Carey backed Lyon to successfully return as an AFL coach.