St Kilda head coach Ross Lyon has been left ruing the “ifs, buts, and maybes” after his side’s 15-point loss to Carlton in the annual ‘Spud’s Game’ at the MCG on Friday night.
Despite kicking three of the game’s first four goals, the Saints quickly lost their momentum heading into the second quarter as the Blues kicked six of the next seven majors — leaving Lyon’s side chasing tail throughout the second half.
A Mattaes Phillipou goal halfway through the final quarter saw them get within three points, but goals from Carlton’s Cooper Lord and Harry McKay put the game out of their reach in front of 65,680 people.
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Speaking to journalists post-game, Lyon praised his side’s efforts on the bigger stage, but felt that early errors ended up being one of their biggest hurdles for a come–from-behind win.
“We just couldn’t quite gain ascendancy,” Lyon began by saying.
“I thought they were on top around clearances and centre bounces early. We started okay (but) there’s just a few different things throughout the game, and ultimately, they were able to take opportunities a little bit easier than we were … (although) we played a pretty good front-half game.
“It was a bit of a moving feast; we turned it over early in the first or second when we were coming out (of defensive 50), but we got rid of that.
“We’re not confused, we just want to have a good look at it. I’m probably going to be conservative until I have a good look at it.”
Boyd’s brilliant pre-Spud’s Game speech | 01:45
‘Spud’s Game’, a marquee match in honour of the late Danny ‘Spud’ Frawley, helps raise awareness around the importance of mental health. Frawley, who played 240 games for St Kilda last century, was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2007 before passing away in 2019.
The occasion to one that St Kilda and the broader AFL community have embraced for half a decade now, with Lyon commending his side for their efforts on the night.
“I thought our spirit (was good)… a pretty special night, and a challenging night. We really want to show the esteem we hold for ‘Spud’, and acknowledge the work that’s been put into that space by the whole AFL community and particularly ‘Spud’ and the Danny Frawley Centre,” Lyon continued.
“Withstanding that, we’ve got to be able to focus on an AFL game, so I thought we could only show the esteem we hold him in, and what he meant to the club by playing in a pretty good spirit. I thought we never gave up.”
With star rival defender Jacob Weitering looming inside St Kilda’s attacking 50, the young Saints at times looked tentative to move the ball too quickly in fear of kicking it to his advantage aerially.
It meant that their ball movement at times was more stagnant than they would have liked, and allowed Carlton to set up even stronger behind the ball.
McKay talks through match-winning goal | 01:55
“I think they deserved to win, but (with) ifs, buts (and) maybes, maybe it’s a different look,” Lyon wondered.
“We probably overplayed a little bit … we tidied that up, but maybe at a cost. Maybe we were better off letting them intercept a bit.
“We’re a bit frustrated, and we want to improve quick — so we need to learn some lessons out of it.
“Philippou coming back, we’ll inject him (into the midfield). It was a big effort by him not to have played a game (this year).”
After eight weeks and a notable amount of pre-season on the sidelines, the 20-year-old gave a strong return in his first game back with 12 disposals, two goals and a goal assist.
And in true Ross fashion, the mastermind coach finished his press conference quirkily when quizzed a potential injury for defender Dougal Howard.
“He just had a bit of an adductor (injury) last week,” Lyon chuckled — after noting in his press conference last week against Fremantle that an adductor injury never used to exist.
Out-of-contract star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was again one of St Kilda’s best for 30 disposals and 679 metres gained, but was also temporarily on the bench after he was stood on the foot by an opposition player.
Walking out of the press conference when asked, Lyon replied: “He got trod on. The modern-day boot’s quite nasty… they wear slippers!”
The Saints will be able to respond to Friday night’s loss against the winless West Coast next Sunday evening in Perth.
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