St Kilda coach Ross Lyon suggests local media frenzy over Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera in Adelaide could impact his contract decision
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is adamant he's 'not losing any sleep' over the looming decision from off-contract star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera after a personal trip to Adelaide in which he was 'terrorised twice' by local media.
The South Australian-born 22-year-old, who is bound for All-Australian selection in 2025, is believed to be at the centre of a bidding war between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, with the Saints also hopeful of hanging on to him.
His manager, Ben Williams, denied a report suggesting Wanganeen-Milera wouldn't join the Crows due to a racism incident involving former Adelaide captain Taylor Walker in 2021.
Wanganeen-Milera has close links with Port players, including Jason Horne-Francis, and the pair were spotted together at a frozen yoghurt shop in Adelaide where Wanganeen-Milera spent the bye week catching up with 'fam' according to Lyon.
While there have been reports that Wanganeen-Milera, who has played 75 games with the Saints since his debut in 2022, has issues living in Melbourne, Lyon said the 'melting pot' in Adelaide, which included TV cameras following the young gun at the airport, showed what life could be like if he moved.
'What's interesting is the environment over there,' Lyon said on Tuesday.
'He's been doorstopped twice and terrorised twice (by media). It talks to the intensity over there, getting doorstopped at the airport during the bye. It's interesting how a non-story becomes a story. Clearly it's good to have competitive tension.'
Lyon said the Saints were confident the development and support Wanganeen-Milera had been offered at St Kilda and their plans to be a 'great club' were the best way to ensure he remained on a deal that could reach seven figures annually.
'Build it and they will come. Develop our players, support them, make it a safe environment and then at the end of the day you are either good enough to keep them or you're not,' he said.
'I'm not losing too much sleep over it.
'We want to make St Kilda great. We've got a lot of hard work to do over a long period of time.'
Lyon was also unmoved by the catch-up with Horne-Francis, a fellow Indigenous star, adamant St Kilda did a lot of work for its own First Nations players.
'The brother boys, they love getting together,' he said.
'We've got Pauly Vandenbergh (AFL diversity pathways manager) coming into the club today who works closely with our First Nations players.
'That's just one aspect of the game.'
The Saints will tackle the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night just 52 days after copping a 71-point smashing in round 6.
Midfielder Jack Macrae is set to push for selection against his old team after recovering from a punctured lung.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
'Quite happily' - inductee played hard off the field
Imagine the reaction if Max Gawn was serving an AFL suspension and spent the new few days on a trip to Lord's to watch the World Test Championship. Australian Football Hall Of Fame inductee Peter Darley freely admits he wouldn't make it as a player now. Darley gave one of the all-time acceptance speeches at Tuesday night's annual induction dinner. While at times his comments drew an uncomfortable gasp from the audience at the Melbourne black tie function, he was the hit of the evening. His best among several memorable anecdotes was being suspended in 1972 while starring as a ruckman for SANFL side South Adelaide. He was also working in sales for the then-national airline TAA and that gave him first-class international plane tickets. So without his coach knowing, Darley flew to London to watch an Ashes Test. He was at Lord's when Australian bowler Bob Massie took 16 wickets on debut. He celebrated hard on the flight home, but soon after his return had to play Glenelg. "I must have turned on the gas and we went past Glenelg, but after three-quarter time I'd run out of gas and I called the bloody stretcher," he said. "Halfway off the ground the stretcher broke and I had to get up and walk off. "Football was something I did on a Saturday and fortunately I was able to get away with it. I wouldn't today, I tell you." Darley starred in South's most recent premiership, way back in 1964, under legendary coach Neil Kerley. "He had us running through sand hills and I said 'well, that's where I used to take my girlfriends'," Darley said. "He taught (us) how to play as a team, not only on the football field, but he also offered us the opportunity to play off the football field - which I took up quite readily and happily." In paying tribute to his fellow inductees, Melbourne great Garry Lyon was particularly taken with Darley. "I'd be happy to go on a footy trip with Peter Darley - I don't know who you are, Pete, but I like the sound of you,," Lyon said. While Darley and Lyon drew the laughs, AFLW greats Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce brought the emotion with their acceptance speeches. They joined trailblazer Debbie Lee as the only women in the hall of fame. Phillips and Pearce paid tribute to Lee, while Phillips and her father Greg provided the highlight of the night. They are the first father and daughter to be hall of fame members, with Greg already inducted for his stellar playing career at Port Adelaide and Collingwood. "To Dad, I can't imagine how hard it would have been to tell your 13-year-old daughter that she couldn't play the game she loves any more," Phillips said, her voice breaking. "And 27 years later, she's standing next to you in the Hall of Fame." South Australian goalkicking machine Ken Farmer was elevated to legend status, while modern greats Nick Riewoldt and Luke Hodge were also inducted. Darley joined Tasmania's John Leedham and George Owens from WA as this year's historical inductees. There was a sense of sliding doors for Riewoldt and Lyon. Riewoldt was living on the Gold Coast when he was drafted to St Kilda. Another 26km closer to Brisbane, he would have been in the Lions' recruiting zone at the time. Lyon's father Peter played for Hawthorn, but not nearly enough to earn a father-son selection. Lyon never made a grand final at Melbourne and noted his career coincided with four Hawthorn premierships. "I haven't thought about it much," Lyon deadpanned, while also noting he had a "wonderful, wonderful time" at the Demons.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Quite happily' - inductee played hard off the field
Imagine the reaction if Max Gawn was serving an AFL suspension and spent the new few days on a trip to Lord's to watch the World Test Championship. Australian Football Hall Of Fame inductee Peter Darley freely admits he wouldn't make it as a player now. Darley gave one of the all-time acceptance speeches at Tuesday night's annual induction dinner. While at times his comments drew an uncomfortable gasp from the audience at the Melbourne black tie function, he was the hit of the evening. His best among several memorable anecdotes was being suspended in 1972 while starring as a ruckman for SANFL side South Adelaide. He was also working in sales for the then-national airline TAA and that gave him first-class international plane tickets. So without his coach knowing, Darley flew to London to watch an Ashes Test. He was at Lord's when Australian bowler Bob Massie took 16 wickets on debut. He celebrated hard on the flight home, but soon after his return had to play Glenelg. "I must have turned on the gas and we went past Glenelg, but after three-quarter time I'd run out of gas and I called the bloody stretcher," he said. "Halfway off the ground the stretcher broke and I had to get up and walk off. "Football was something I did on a Saturday and fortunately I was able to get away with it. I wouldn't today, I tell you." Darley starred in South's most recent premiership, way back in 1964, under legendary coach Neil Kerley. "He had us running through sand hills and I said 'well, that's where I used to take my girlfriends'," Darley said. "He taught (us) how to play as a team, not only on the football field, but he also offered us the opportunity to play off the football field - which I took up quite readily and happily." In paying tribute to his fellow inductees, Melbourne great Garry Lyon was particularly taken with Darley. "I'd be happy to go on a footy trip with Peter Darley - I don't know who you are, Pete, but I like the sound of you,," Lyon said. While Darley and Lyon drew the laughs, AFLW greats Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce brought the emotion with their acceptance speeches. They joined trailblazer Debbie Lee as the only women in the hall of fame. Phillips and Pearce paid tribute to Lee, while Phillips and her father Greg provided the highlight of the night. They are the first father and daughter to be hall of fame members, with Greg already inducted for his stellar playing career at Port Adelaide and Collingwood. "To Dad, I can't imagine how hard it would have been to tell your 13-year-old daughter that she couldn't play the game she loves any more," Phillips said, her voice breaking. "And 27 years later, she's standing next to you in the Hall of Fame." South Australian goalkicking machine Ken Farmer was elevated to legend status, while modern greats Nick Riewoldt and Luke Hodge were also inducted. Darley joined Tasmania's John Leedham and George Owens from WA as this year's historical inductees. There was a sense of sliding doors for Riewoldt and Lyon. Riewoldt was living on the Gold Coast when he was drafted to St Kilda. Another 26km closer to Brisbane, he would have been in the Lions' recruiting zone at the time. Lyon's father Peter played for Hawthorn, but not nearly enough to earn a father-son selection. Lyon never made a grand final at Melbourne and noted his career coincided with four Hawthorn premierships. "I haven't thought about it much," Lyon deadpanned, while also noting he had a "wonderful, wonderful time" at the Demons.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Live updates: Saudi Arabia vs Socceroos, FIFA World Cup qualifier in Jeddah
The Socceroos need only to avoid a catastrophic defeat against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah to qualify automatically for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Follow all the action from the King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah, in our live blog or listen to live radio coverage.
