Ross Lyon denies St Kilda "reneged" on the Leek Aleer deal and has defended the AFL club's decision not to recruit him.

The Saints had been courting Aleer for well over a year, but during the trade period they stunned by pulling out of the deal.

The GWS defender ended up re-signing with the Giants for two years.

St Kilda have been busy in the last few days, signing Carlton free agents Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni and then securing trades for Gold Coast midfielder Sam Flanders and West Coast forward Liam Ryan.

They also farewelled captain Jack Steele to Melbourne and retained ruck-forward Rowan Marshall despite his wish for a trade to Geelong.

But their backflip on Aleer raised eyebrows and Lyon said he was pleased the Giants backman still had an AFL home.

"'Renege' is a strong ter

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