Fremantle hosts the Anzac Round fixture for the 18th consecutive season.
Lyon said the most important thing for him was to ensure his players understood the importance of Anzac Day.
“At the end of the day, Australian and New Zealand forces, over a long period of time, have been sent to battle by their governments to protect the country and represent the free world,” he said.
But the senior coach said he wouldn’t use the Anzacs as motivation for on-field performance.
“For our players, I don’t ask them to play like the Anzacs and live like the Anzacs,” he said.
“What we ask is an effort that honours the day and honours the occasion with great effort, because we feel that’s what it deserves.
“We don’t try and play (like Anzacs), because I think that would be disrespectful.”
Lyon paid tribute to all the soldiers who had represented Australia throughout time, adding that many of them had been “cannon fodder” during periods of war.
However he said the legend of the Anzacs had helped forge the Australia we know and love today.
“We lost a generation of young men but it built a real spirit for this country and a way to go about things under pressure,” Lyon said.
“It gave us the way we do things here and something to hang on to.
“In a nutshell, it helped forge our identity as a nation, that’s why it’s important to me.”
Lyon highlighted mateship as a great Australian value that is steeped in the spirit of the Anzacs.
“It’s a lot about mateship and the view on mates and trust, and where it originated from, under real pressure,” he said.
“That’s continued on through the ages and, unfortunately, we’re still involved in some conflicts, but at the end of the day, our soldiers go and represent us in that manner.”
