St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has denied he's feuding with Geelong's Mark Thompson, with Lyon saying if opposition coaches want to comment on free kicks that's up to them.

St Kilda scored a controversial 12.11 (83) to 11.13 (79) win over Geelong at the MCG in Friday night's qualifying final.

Lyon admitted after the match the Saints had enjoyed a slice of luck when a late goal to Cameron Ling was disallowed because a free kick was awarded against Ling's Geelong team-mate Cameron Mooney for a push in the back.

A furious Thompson said he couldn't comment on the decision because he'd be fined by the AFL, but the two-time premiership coach urged reporters to write the truth about the incident.

Lyon hit back on Radio 3AW on Saturday, saying he didn't want to discuss the Mooney free kick because it was irrelevant.

"It pays a disservice to the game and how good we were in a lot of aspects," he said.

"Let's talk about (Geelong's) Tommy Hawkins kicking into the post last year in a grand final and not making an issue of that.

"I just look back to last year's grand final. I didn't whinge or bleat about a poster being missed."

Thompson stirred the pot again at his press conference on Monday.

"The free kick was probably there. It was probably the 15 other ones that they didn't pay that were probably wrong," he grinned.

Asked on Monday night if he had any hostility towards Thompson, Lyon said: "Not particularly.

"What I will say ... not once have I commented on free kicks and I don't see any reason to start now," Lyon told Foxtel's "On the Couch" program.

"I've never really discussed free kicks and the rub of the green over four years.

"Opposition coaches can talk about their free kicks and their clubs and that's their prerogative but I'm certainly not buying into that."

Lyon paid tribute to on-field leaders Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes for guiding the Saints to their upset win against Geelong, earning St Kilda a week off and a place in the preliminary final.

"There's not many people you hear Leigh Matthews talk about their attack on the ball inspires him, but Lenny is one that Leigh has spoken about and I think that speaks volumes," Lyon said.

Lyon said Riewoldt's return to top form despite early-season hamstring surgery had been remarkable.

The coach said tagger Steven Baker, who served a nine-week suspension and was selected to return on Friday night but was a late withdrawal, was on track for the preliminary final.

He said Baker had recovered from a toe injury.

"There was a final discussion about how he was feeling, if he could deliver. There was an element of doubt," Lyon said of Baker's late withdrawal.

"(But) he has been in full training. He did a two-and-a-half hour session on Saturday."

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