Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw says he will tell his good mate Max King to work his backside off if Ross Lyon becomes coach of St Kilda.
Lyon is the hot favourite to be appointed coach of the Saints - 11 years after walking out on the club to join Fremantle.
Brayshaw spent the first two years of his career under Lyon, and he credits the 55-year-old for helping him learn the elite standards needed to become an AFL star.
King booted 52 goals for the Saints this season, and he's been touted as a future superstar.
Brayshaw will have plenty of advice for the 22-year-old when they next talk.
"One of my mates Max King rang me yesterday, I just missed him," Brayshaw said on Friday.
"I think he wants to get a feel for what Ross is like. (I have) too many stories - some of the all-time sprays when I was young.
"He (Lyon) values hard work. He loves seeing people who are as invested in football as he is. My advice to Max would be, 'work your arse off mate'."
Lyon's taskmaster nature during his eight-year reign at Fremantle played a key role in his downfall at the Dockers.
But the veteran coach had started to mellow near the end of his tenure, and Brayshaw is hopeful St Kilda give him another chance to coach at the top level.
"He really put me on the right path," Brayshaw said.
"I think I owe a lot of my football success to him. I think he's got a really good ability to bring the best out of players."
Meanwhile, Fremantle are set to retain its partnership with Woodside until the end of 2023 despite a push for the club to cut short the sponsorship deal.
A group of high-profile supporters said it was not appropriate for Fremantle to be partners with the oil and gas company at a time the world is trying to avoid a climate crisis.
Fremantle chief executive Simon Garlick indicated that the club will honour the current deal.
"At this point in time, Woodside is contracted until the end of 2023, so it's over 12 months away," Garlick said.
"We understand the topical nature of it at this point in time, but we'll work through that with Woodside at the appropriate time.
"Clearly football is our primary focus. But we know we're looked upon (on) key societal issues.
"We're an organisation that is more than happy to take on the opinions and input and views, and then our board led by (president) Dale (Alcock) will make the best possible decision on behalf of the club."
Fremantle announced on Friday that Bankwest has joined the club as a co-major sponsor for the next four years.
