St Kilda coach Ross Lyon carries Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera on his shoulders after Melbourne heroics

West Australian

5 days ago

Not even the usually bristly Ross Lyon could contain himself as the St Kilda coach partied hard with match-winning star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera after their historic comeback against Melbourne.
The Saints stunned the Demons to overturn the biggest-ever fourth-quarter deficit in AFL/VFL history, erasing a 46-point margin at the final break to win after the siren on Sunday.
At the centre of it was Wanganeen-Milera, who kicked the last two goals of the game inside 55 seconds, to finish his night with four goals and 34 touches.
In a post-match function at Hotel Brighton, Lyon is seen holding Wanganeen-Milera up on his shoulders as they danced to blasting music, as his Saints teammates cheered.
Lyon said a win like that can be something the club can build their brand around, despite another season stuck in the lower mid-table.
'At the end of the day, it's four points ... get a bit of belief and we all get together (tonight),' Lyon said.
'We're trying to build out the mortar of the club, we've got a family function at a hotel - we're all getting there.
'We'll enjoy each other's company but the stone-cold reality is in 24 hours you're preparing and it just keeps coming at you.
'But we did talk about the joy at half-time of playing footy, don't let it get you down. As a kid, you'd love to be here. We just dive into that space.
'Just the joy of playing football, let alone AFL football.'
However, it remains to be seen if Wanganeen-Milera will stay a part of that club brand with the 22-year-old out of contract for next year.
The Saints have offered a $1.4 million deal over the next two seasons, but Port Adelaide and Adelaide are reportedly coming hard for the South Australian native.
And his price tag is only going to increase as he puts together more match-winning performances.