Last Tuesday night on Sky’s ‘Sportsline’ program I asked Carlton great Anthony Koutoufides if Ross Lyon was an old-time coach who believed a contract is a contract.

Lyon was strongly rumoured to be switching to Melbourne for big bucks, despite a year left on his St Kilda contract.

“I think you’re right Lordy, you’ve pin-pointed him perfectly.

“He is the sort of old-fashioned coach who would stick with his club.

“Any other coach who has only a year left on his contract would’ve gone the other way for the money.

“Just credit again to Ross Lyon,” said ‘Kouta’.

Less than 48 hours later Fremantle suddenly sacked its coach Mark Harvey, who was told to leave immediately despite a year left on his contract, and who bobs up to replace him?

Ross Lyon.

So both ‘Kouta’ and I were radically wrong – money does talk, and always will.

Who would want to be a coach? Security nil, contracts are there to be broken and paid out.

An expensive exercise for Fremantle, effectively paying two coaches for one season, but obviously the powers-that-be at Freo reckon it’s worth it.

Time will tell.

There’s a lot of sympathy for Harvey, the victim of an horrendous injury toll this season, reported to be 25 all-up, with 16 requiring surgery. No coach can survive such a catastrophe.

But the AFL coaching musical chairs are far from finished, with Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs and now St Kilda still coachless for next season.

Four sacked coaches are now hovering around for three jobs – Dean Bailey (Melbourne), Neil Craig (Adelaide), Rodney Eade (Dogs), and now Harvey.

It’s not only AFL coaches under the pump, with two NRL coaches having copped a blast in the last 24 hours.

St George-Illawarra’s Wayne Bennett made a lightning trip to Newcastle, where he will coach next season, to speak to officials and key players.

Meanwhile the defending premier Dragons are preparing for their biggest game of the season, a sudden-death clash with the Broncos at Suncorp.

Not a good look. Bennett could surely have waited until Sunday to head north, and avoided the flack.

If the Dragons are beaten by the Broncos they are done-and-dusted for the season anyway, and not a word would have been said.

West-Tigers coach Tim Sheens spent time with his Kangaroo squad preparing for the Four-Nations championship, but his flack was minimal, and so it should be, with the Tigers preparation not affected for tonight.

England’s rugby coach Martin Johnston is copping his own share at home after the news broke his stand-in skipper Mike Tindall has been accused of kissing and groping a blonde beauty at a nightclub with team-mates where the “feature” was a dwarf-throwing contest.

Sick.

Hardly the behaviour expected of England’s captain, who recently married the Queen’s granddaughter. The red carpet won’t be out for Tindall’s next visit to Buckingham Palace.

England, the 2003 World Cup champions, and runner up in 2007, dodged a bullet in their first game against Argentina, and surely don’t need after-hours shenanigans to surface.

It begs the question about their dedication to the tournament, the ultimate responsibility of hard-man Johnston.

And what gives with All Black coach Graham Henry?

He announced the team to meet Japan tonight last Tuesday. Within three hours crack fly-half-goal-kicker Dan Carter withdrew with a sore back.

The big news at the time was skipper Richie McCaw’s 100th Test cap, the first All Black to achieve the feat.

Yesterday McCaw (calf) withdrew, as did full-back Mils Muliaina (hamstring), and his side-kick Israel Dagg with an abdominal strain.

Four key players missing, prompting local media to say it was a shrewd move by Henry not to embarrass Japan with a second-strong side to rest top players.

Henry’s response? The media has a vivid imagination, he can’t help injuries at training after the team has been named.

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers also has major injury problems with champion locks Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and centre Jean de Villiers.

The Boks scrapped home 17-16 against Wales, who were robbed of a penalty shot by James Hook in the first half, that was flagged away.

Thankfully, Wallaby coach Robbie Deans hasn’t a problem in the world for the vital clash with Ireland tomorrow night at Eden Park.

Sure he’s lost in-form winger Digby Ioane to injury, and that’s a big loss. But James O’Connor slots into the role nicely, with Drew Mitchell taking O’Connor’s bench spot.

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck hasn’t a problem either.

The Socceroos wiped out that appalling 2-1 home win over Thailand by thumping Saudi Arabia 3-1 in Damman five days later, to head their qualifying pool for the 2014 World Cup.

Two up for the coaches, but 10 down.

Who would ever want to be a football code coach?