
Famous football family mourns death of SA Hall of Famer Ian Day
The SA Hall of Famer, who began his career with West Adelaide, kicked the sealer as South Adelaide won the 1964 SANFL grand final.
The premiership decider was his final game, coming just days after the birth of his second son, and he moved straight into commentary when Channel 7 came calling for its pioneering SANFL broadcasts.
Ian's younger brother Robert was also a SANFL star with West Adelaide and went on to win the 1971 VFL premiership with Hawthorn, but the Day family's sporting pedigree did not end with the siblings.
Ian's son Tim went on to play baseball for Australia.
Ian and Robert both have grandsons in the AFL, with Sam Day (Ian) forging a long career with the Gold Coast Suns before joining the Brisbane Lions this year.
Will Day (Robert) has starred for Hawthorn in recent years but has been sidelined with injury for much of the 2025 season.
Ian's death comes just months after his son Chris — Sam's father — died following a five-year battle with cancer.
Chris's initial diagnosis in 2020 saved his brother's life, with Tim prompted to get tested and also found to have early-stage prostate cancer.
Tributes poured in on Tuesday following the news of Ian's death.
'Saddened to hear of the passing of South Adelaide legend Ian Day aged 90,' Channel 7's John Casey said.
''Daisy' was a pioneer of the Ch7 broadcast team starting a 30-year commentary run in 1965 and setting the standard for all of us who followed.
'Condolences to Ian's family and many friends.'
Long-time AFL media manager Patrick Keane describing Ian as a 'legend' of SANFL broadcasts.
'His voice is a central part of memories for so many in the time he called games,' Keane said.
'Also a fine rover with West Adelaide and South Adelaide and a key member of the Panthers' last flag side in 1964 which famously went bottom to top.'
Ian also worked alongside future star commentators Bruce McAvaney and Sandy Roberts on SANFL broadcasts.

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The Advertiser
19 hours ago
- The Advertiser
A schnitzel and words of advice: How Cooks Hill prepared for David-v-Goliath Cup battle
Words of advice from players who have plenty of big-game experience and a feed at Harrys Schnitzel was how Cooks Hill prepared for a David-versus-Goliath showdown with the Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup round of 16 on Wednesday night. It will be the biggest moment in the young club's history. Cooks Hill's fairytale run in the nationwide knockout soccer competition is the stuff dreams are made of. The inner-city club, founded in 1997, was playing third-tier football in Northern NSW a decade ago. Now, they are set to face off with Newcastle's A-League side at No.2 Sportsground (7.30pm) for a shot at a Cup quarter-final appearance. To say they are underdogs is a massive understatement. The Cup giant-killers have finished ninth in NPL Northern NSW this season. "We're going to be without the ball a lot of the time," Cooks Hill coach Chris Zoricich, who also works in the Jets youth system, said. "Being involved with the [Jets] under 23s, I know the pace of the movement, the pace of the ball is going to be a little bit of a shock to the system compared to the week in, week out we get at NPL level. "The sooner we can get used to that and not be overwhelmed by it, then we'll be fine." Cooks Hill produced a stunning 2-1 upset over back-to-back NPL premiers Broadmeadow to progress to the Cup's round of 32. A come-from-behind 3-2 victory over NPL South Australian side Adelaide Croatia in Adelaide followed. "What we've achieved so far is fantastic, and we'll always have that," Zoricich said. "No one can take that away from the players. But there's one more job to do, and I just want the boys to put on a really good performance so they can come off, even if the result doesn't go our way, they can come off and say, 'We gave it a bloody good go, we gave it our best shot and we didn't leave anything out there'. "That's all you can do. At the end of the day, if our best isn't good enough then that's fine." On Monday night, Zoricich arranged for former national league players Craig Deans, Scott Thomas and Joel Griffiths, a former Socceroo and part of the Jets' 2007-08 A-League championship-winning side, to address his squad. "They're coming in to speak to the boys just to give them their experiences on big games and what they've been through, hopefully they'll take something from that," Zoricich told the Newcastle Herald on Monday. "Then we're having a team dinner at Harrys Schnitzel. Today is more about the emotional and mental side of it, and then tomorrow will be more tactical, about how we're going to approach it and what we're going to do. "On the day, there will be very little to say, it's up to the players then. I'm just trying to pump them up as much as possible, make them feel good and say, whatever has gone on this season, that's in the past. It doesn't really matter. "It's a one-off game here, and anything can happen in a game of football, as we know, so we've just got to go out there and give it everything we've got." It has been a hectic finish to the season with Australia Cup games, a backlog of midweek catch-up matches after rain wreaked havoc on the competition and a Northern NSW State Cup showdown with Weston, which Cooks Hill won on penalties on July 26. With finals already beyond their reach heading into the NPL's final round last weekend, Zoricich rested a number of players to freshen them up for Wednesday night. Cooks Hill's senior squad is relatively young but also includes 36-year-old club captain and defensive midfielder Daniel Clements, who along with Dan Yaxley and Alex Gillespie joined Cooks Hill in 2017 and helped the club earn promotion to NPL in 2022. "The players are excited," Zoricich said. "I'm telling them to soak everything up. I don't want them to have any regrets. I want them to enjoy it. I want them to enjoy the exposure that they're getting because it might not come around again for a few of them. We're just going to enjoy the occasion. "We have a pretty young squad. The majority of them are between the 19 to 23 age group and a couple in between, and then you've got the old codger Dan Clements, who was the fittest of all of them during pre-season. He's done very well for us this season." Clements shook off illness to produce a Herculean 90-minute effort in Adelaide three weeks ago and was relishing every minute of the club's Cup journey. "I never expected to be playing NPL again when we stepped back to play for Cooks Hill," Clements said after the club's round-of-32 win. "We were going to get them promoted and then sail off into the sunset, and yet, here we are. "I honestly never thought we'd be in this position, and it really is something that's making me very happy at this late stage in my career, to be able to enjoy something like this with a great bunch of boys. "I'm just trying to soak it in, but the excitement is through the roof. I'm really excited for the volunteers and the people behind the scenes at this club, to be able to do what we've done is fantastic, and it's given a stage for some of the younger boys as well." Words of advice from players who have plenty of big-game experience and a feed at Harrys Schnitzel was how Cooks Hill prepared for a David-versus-Goliath showdown with the Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup round of 16 on Wednesday night. It will be the biggest moment in the young club's history. Cooks Hill's fairytale run in the nationwide knockout soccer competition is the stuff dreams are made of. The inner-city club, founded in 1997, was playing third-tier football in Northern NSW a decade ago. Now, they are set to face off with Newcastle's A-League side at No.2 Sportsground (7.30pm) for a shot at a Cup quarter-final appearance. To say they are underdogs is a massive understatement. The Cup giant-killers have finished ninth in NPL Northern NSW this season. "We're going to be without the ball a lot of the time," Cooks Hill coach Chris Zoricich, who also works in the Jets youth system, said. "Being involved with the [Jets] under 23s, I know the pace of the movement, the pace of the ball is going to be a little bit of a shock to the system compared to the week in, week out we get at NPL level. "The sooner we can get used to that and not be overwhelmed by it, then we'll be fine." Cooks Hill produced a stunning 2-1 upset over back-to-back NPL premiers Broadmeadow to progress to the Cup's round of 32. A come-from-behind 3-2 victory over NPL South Australian side Adelaide Croatia in Adelaide followed. "What we've achieved so far is fantastic, and we'll always have that," Zoricich said. "No one can take that away from the players. But there's one more job to do, and I just want the boys to put on a really good performance so they can come off, even if the result doesn't go our way, they can come off and say, 'We gave it a bloody good go, we gave it our best shot and we didn't leave anything out there'. "That's all you can do. At the end of the day, if our best isn't good enough then that's fine." On Monday night, Zoricich arranged for former national league players Craig Deans, Scott Thomas and Joel Griffiths, a former Socceroo and part of the Jets' 2007-08 A-League championship-winning side, to address his squad. "They're coming in to speak to the boys just to give them their experiences on big games and what they've been through, hopefully they'll take something from that," Zoricich told the Newcastle Herald on Monday. "Then we're having a team dinner at Harrys Schnitzel. Today is more about the emotional and mental side of it, and then tomorrow will be more tactical, about how we're going to approach it and what we're going to do. "On the day, there will be very little to say, it's up to the players then. I'm just trying to pump them up as much as possible, make them feel good and say, whatever has gone on this season, that's in the past. It doesn't really matter. "It's a one-off game here, and anything can happen in a game of football, as we know, so we've just got to go out there and give it everything we've got." It has been a hectic finish to the season with Australia Cup games, a backlog of midweek catch-up matches after rain wreaked havoc on the competition and a Northern NSW State Cup showdown with Weston, which Cooks Hill won on penalties on July 26. With finals already beyond their reach heading into the NPL's final round last weekend, Zoricich rested a number of players to freshen them up for Wednesday night. Cooks Hill's senior squad is relatively young but also includes 36-year-old club captain and defensive midfielder Daniel Clements, who along with Dan Yaxley and Alex Gillespie joined Cooks Hill in 2017 and helped the club earn promotion to NPL in 2022. "The players are excited," Zoricich said. "I'm telling them to soak everything up. I don't want them to have any regrets. I want them to enjoy it. I want them to enjoy the exposure that they're getting because it might not come around again for a few of them. We're just going to enjoy the occasion. "We have a pretty young squad. The majority of them are between the 19 to 23 age group and a couple in between, and then you've got the old codger Dan Clements, who was the fittest of all of them during pre-season. He's done very well for us this season." Clements shook off illness to produce a Herculean 90-minute effort in Adelaide three weeks ago and was relishing every minute of the club's Cup journey. "I never expected to be playing NPL again when we stepped back to play for Cooks Hill," Clements said after the club's round-of-32 win. "We were going to get them promoted and then sail off into the sunset, and yet, here we are. "I honestly never thought we'd be in this position, and it really is something that's making me very happy at this late stage in my career, to be able to enjoy something like this with a great bunch of boys. "I'm just trying to soak it in, but the excitement is through the roof. I'm really excited for the volunteers and the people behind the scenes at this club, to be able to do what we've done is fantastic, and it's given a stage for some of the younger boys as well." Words of advice from players who have plenty of big-game experience and a feed at Harrys Schnitzel was how Cooks Hill prepared for a David-versus-Goliath showdown with the Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup round of 16 on Wednesday night. It will be the biggest moment in the young club's history. Cooks Hill's fairytale run in the nationwide knockout soccer competition is the stuff dreams are made of. The inner-city club, founded in 1997, was playing third-tier football in Northern NSW a decade ago. Now, they are set to face off with Newcastle's A-League side at No.2 Sportsground (7.30pm) for a shot at a Cup quarter-final appearance. To say they are underdogs is a massive understatement. The Cup giant-killers have finished ninth in NPL Northern NSW this season. "We're going to be without the ball a lot of the time," Cooks Hill coach Chris Zoricich, who also works in the Jets youth system, said. "Being involved with the [Jets] under 23s, I know the pace of the movement, the pace of the ball is going to be a little bit of a shock to the system compared to the week in, week out we get at NPL level. "The sooner we can get used to that and not be overwhelmed by it, then we'll be fine." Cooks Hill produced a stunning 2-1 upset over back-to-back NPL premiers Broadmeadow to progress to the Cup's round of 32. A come-from-behind 3-2 victory over NPL South Australian side Adelaide Croatia in Adelaide followed. "What we've achieved so far is fantastic, and we'll always have that," Zoricich said. "No one can take that away from the players. But there's one more job to do, and I just want the boys to put on a really good performance so they can come off, even if the result doesn't go our way, they can come off and say, 'We gave it a bloody good go, we gave it our best shot and we didn't leave anything out there'. "That's all you can do. At the end of the day, if our best isn't good enough then that's fine." On Monday night, Zoricich arranged for former national league players Craig Deans, Scott Thomas and Joel Griffiths, a former Socceroo and part of the Jets' 2007-08 A-League championship-winning side, to address his squad. "They're coming in to speak to the boys just to give them their experiences on big games and what they've been through, hopefully they'll take something from that," Zoricich told the Newcastle Herald on Monday. "Then we're having a team dinner at Harrys Schnitzel. Today is more about the emotional and mental side of it, and then tomorrow will be more tactical, about how we're going to approach it and what we're going to do. "On the day, there will be very little to say, it's up to the players then. I'm just trying to pump them up as much as possible, make them feel good and say, whatever has gone on this season, that's in the past. It doesn't really matter. "It's a one-off game here, and anything can happen in a game of football, as we know, so we've just got to go out there and give it everything we've got." It has been a hectic finish to the season with Australia Cup games, a backlog of midweek catch-up matches after rain wreaked havoc on the competition and a Northern NSW State Cup showdown with Weston, which Cooks Hill won on penalties on July 26. With finals already beyond their reach heading into the NPL's final round last weekend, Zoricich rested a number of players to freshen them up for Wednesday night. Cooks Hill's senior squad is relatively young but also includes 36-year-old club captain and defensive midfielder Daniel Clements, who along with Dan Yaxley and Alex Gillespie joined Cooks Hill in 2017 and helped the club earn promotion to NPL in 2022. "The players are excited," Zoricich said. "I'm telling them to soak everything up. I don't want them to have any regrets. I want them to enjoy it. I want them to enjoy the exposure that they're getting because it might not come around again for a few of them. We're just going to enjoy the occasion. "We have a pretty young squad. The majority of them are between the 19 to 23 age group and a couple in between, and then you've got the old codger Dan Clements, who was the fittest of all of them during pre-season. He's done very well for us this season." Clements shook off illness to produce a Herculean 90-minute effort in Adelaide three weeks ago and was relishing every minute of the club's Cup journey. "I never expected to be playing NPL again when we stepped back to play for Cooks Hill," Clements said after the club's round-of-32 win. "We were going to get them promoted and then sail off into the sunset, and yet, here we are. "I honestly never thought we'd be in this position, and it really is something that's making me very happy at this late stage in my career, to be able to enjoy something like this with a great bunch of boys. "I'm just trying to soak it in, but the excitement is through the roof. I'm really excited for the volunteers and the people behind the scenes at this club, to be able to do what we've done is fantastic, and it's given a stage for some of the younger boys as well." Words of advice from players who have plenty of big-game experience and a feed at Harrys Schnitzel was how Cooks Hill prepared for a David-versus-Goliath showdown with the Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup round of 16 on Wednesday night. It will be the biggest moment in the young club's history. Cooks Hill's fairytale run in the nationwide knockout soccer competition is the stuff dreams are made of. The inner-city club, founded in 1997, was playing third-tier football in Northern NSW a decade ago. Now, they are set to face off with Newcastle's A-League side at No.2 Sportsground (7.30pm) for a shot at a Cup quarter-final appearance. To say they are underdogs is a massive understatement. The Cup giant-killers have finished ninth in NPL Northern NSW this season. "We're going to be without the ball a lot of the time," Cooks Hill coach Chris Zoricich, who also works in the Jets youth system, said. "Being involved with the [Jets] under 23s, I know the pace of the movement, the pace of the ball is going to be a little bit of a shock to the system compared to the week in, week out we get at NPL level. "The sooner we can get used to that and not be overwhelmed by it, then we'll be fine." Cooks Hill produced a stunning 2-1 upset over back-to-back NPL premiers Broadmeadow to progress to the Cup's round of 32. A come-from-behind 3-2 victory over NPL South Australian side Adelaide Croatia in Adelaide followed. "What we've achieved so far is fantastic, and we'll always have that," Zoricich said. "No one can take that away from the players. But there's one more job to do, and I just want the boys to put on a really good performance so they can come off, even if the result doesn't go our way, they can come off and say, 'We gave it a bloody good go, we gave it our best shot and we didn't leave anything out there'. "That's all you can do. At the end of the day, if our best isn't good enough then that's fine." On Monday night, Zoricich arranged for former national league players Craig Deans, Scott Thomas and Joel Griffiths, a former Socceroo and part of the Jets' 2007-08 A-League championship-winning side, to address his squad. "They're coming in to speak to the boys just to give them their experiences on big games and what they've been through, hopefully they'll take something from that," Zoricich told the Newcastle Herald on Monday. "Then we're having a team dinner at Harrys Schnitzel. Today is more about the emotional and mental side of it, and then tomorrow will be more tactical, about how we're going to approach it and what we're going to do. "On the day, there will be very little to say, it's up to the players then. I'm just trying to pump them up as much as possible, make them feel good and say, whatever has gone on this season, that's in the past. It doesn't really matter. "It's a one-off game here, and anything can happen in a game of football, as we know, so we've just got to go out there and give it everything we've got." It has been a hectic finish to the season with Australia Cup games, a backlog of midweek catch-up matches after rain wreaked havoc on the competition and a Northern NSW State Cup showdown with Weston, which Cooks Hill won on penalties on July 26. With finals already beyond their reach heading into the NPL's final round last weekend, Zoricich rested a number of players to freshen them up for Wednesday night. Cooks Hill's senior squad is relatively young but also includes 36-year-old club captain and defensive midfielder Daniel Clements, who along with Dan Yaxley and Alex Gillespie joined Cooks Hill in 2017 and helped the club earn promotion to NPL in 2022. "The players are excited," Zoricich said. "I'm telling them to soak everything up. I don't want them to have any regrets. I want them to enjoy it. I want them to enjoy the exposure that they're getting because it might not come around again for a few of them. We're just going to enjoy the occasion. "We have a pretty young squad. The majority of them are between the 19 to 23 age group and a couple in between, and then you've got the old codger Dan Clements, who was the fittest of all of them during pre-season. He's done very well for us this season." Clements shook off illness to produce a Herculean 90-minute effort in Adelaide three weeks ago and was relishing every minute of the club's Cup journey. "I never expected to be playing NPL again when we stepped back to play for Cooks Hill," Clements said after the club's round-of-32 win. "We were going to get them promoted and then sail off into the sunset, and yet, here we are. "I honestly never thought we'd be in this position, and it really is something that's making me very happy at this late stage in my career, to be able to enjoy something like this with a great bunch of boys. "I'm just trying to soak it in, but the excitement is through the roof. I'm really excited for the volunteers and the people behind the scenes at this club, to be able to do what we've done is fantastic, and it's given a stage for some of the younger boys as well."


7NEWS
4 days ago
- 7NEWS
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon makes honest admission on ‘ugly' win over Richmond
St Kilda have claimed their third tight win on the bounce, but coach Ross Lyon believes their brand of football is 'all over the shop' and wants more consistency. The Saints trailed by eight points against Richmond at three-quarter time on Saturday before in-demand star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera helped turn the contest in their favour, helping deliver an 8.8 (56) to 7.10 (52) win. Richmond coach Adem Yze lamented one that got away, while Lyon downplayed consecutive tight wins against Melbourne (six points), North Melbourne (nine) and Richmond (four). The Saints had been keen to improve on poor first quarters and took an early 20-point lead, but then Richmond got into the game. 'Our focus was Q1 - we did that, but then we just lost our way,' Lyon said. 'We're just trying to get better. So good teams play well. 'Our brand's a little bit all over the shop at the minute, we've just got to get more consistent. Too big a wild swings - maybe that's a young group, I don't know. 'Is it our coaching? Is it our training? We just have to keep diving in.' Saturday afternoon's game, held in perfect, sunny conditions, proved a dour, low-scoring affair in front of 41,395 fans. 'It was ugly. It was horrible skills - both teams,' Lyon said. Wanganeen-Milera was quiet early but grew into the game off half-back, finishing with 33 disposals, 656 metres gained and a wonderful goal. He pulled up awkwardly with a corked left calf early in the fourth, but waved away the trainers and shortly after teed up two goals. The South Australian is in demand from both Port Adelaide and Adelaide, though St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena told 3AW radio he was 'optimistic' the Saints could keep hold of him. Marcus Windhager had 24 disposals to halftime and finished with 32. Jack Sinclair (30 disposals) impressed on-ball late while Callum Wilkie (29 disposals, 16 marks) was excellent. Richmond's Nick Vlastuin was imperious behind the ball while the Tigers' midfield shared the load and Rhyan Mansell kicked two goals. The Saints raced away to an early 20-point lead before Mansell steadied Richmond late in the first term. St Kilda were celebrating captain Jack Steele's 200th game and former Tiger Jack Higgins' 100th AFL appearance as a Saint. There was a quirky moment when St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall gave away a free kick for taking Kamdyn McIntosh's head band off him in the second quarter. Wanganeen-Milera delivered a spark when he pounced on a loose ball, broke a tackle then snapped towards goal with the ball taking a wicked bounce to sneak through for a major. The Saints led by four points at the main break, but Richmond star Tim Taranto kicked a marvellous long-range goal just before the three-quarter time siren to deliver an eight-point lead. The final quarter proved an arm wrestle, but the Saints were more composed when it counted. 'I feel like we could have won the game, we probably should have won the game and obviously that's a bitter pill to swallow,' Yze said. '... We live week to week, and right now we feel like we left one out there.' Richmond didn't use substitute Steely Green, who is set to play VFL on Saturday night. St Kilda (8-13) play Essendon at Marvel Stadium next Friday while Richmond (5-16) face fellow cellar dwellars North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday.


The Advertiser
4 days ago
- The Advertiser
Saints claim third straight win but coach wants more
St Kilda have claimed their third tight win on the bounce, but coach Ross Lyon believes their brand of football is "all over the shop" and wants more consistency. The Saints trailed by eight points against Richmond at three-quarter time on Saturday before in-demand star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera helped turn the contest in their favour, helping deliver an 8.8 (56) to 7.10 (52) win. Richmond coach Adem Yze lamented one that got away, while Lyon downplayed consecutive tight wins against Melbourne (six points), North Melbourne (nine) and Richmond (four). The Saints had been keen to improve on poor first quarters and took an early 20-point lead, but then Richmond got into the game. "Our focus was Q1 - we did that, but then we just lost our way," Lyon said. "We're just trying to get better. So good teams play well. "Our brand's a little bit all over the shop at the minute, we've just got to get more consistent. Too big a wild swings - maybe that's a young group, I don't know. "Is it our coaching? Is it our training? We just have to keep diving in." Saturday afternoon's game, held in perfect, sunny conditions, proved a dour, low-scoring affair in front of 41,395 fans. "It was ugly. It was horrible skills - both teams," Lyon said. Wanganeen-Milera was quiet early but grew into the game off half-back, finishing with 33 disposals, 656 metres gained and a wonderful goal. He pulled up awkwardly with a corked left calf early in the fourth, but waved away the trainers and shortly after teed up two goals. The South Australian is in demand from both Port Adelaide and Adelaide, though St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena told 3AW radio he was "optimistic" the Saints could keep hold of him. Marcus Windhager had 24 disposals to halftime and finished with 32. Jack Sinclair (30 disposals) impressed on-ball late while Callum Wilkie (29 disposals, 16 marks) was excellent. Richmond's Nick Vlastuin was imperious behind the ball while the Tigers' midfield shared the load and Rhyan Mansell kicked two goals. The Saints raced away to an early 20-point lead before Mansell steadied Richmond late in the first term. St Kilda were celebrating captain Jack Steele's 200th game and former Tiger Jack Higgins' 100th AFL appearance as a Saint. There was a quirky moment when St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall gave away a free kick for taking Kamdyn McIntosh's head band off him in the second quarter. Wanganeen-Milera delivered a spark when he pounced on a loose ball, broke a tackle then snapped towards goal with the ball taking a wicked bounce to sneak through for a major. The Saints led by four points at the main break, but Richmond star Tim Taranto kicked a marvellous long-range goal just before the three-quarter time siren to deliver an eight-point lead. The final quarter proved an arm wrestle, but the Saints were more composed when it counted. "I feel like we could have won the game, we probably should have won the game and obviously that's a bitter pill to swallow," Yze said. "... We live week to week, and right now we feel like we left one out there." Richmond didn't use substitute Steely Green, who is set to play VFL on Saturday night. St Kilda (8-13) play Essendon at Marvel Stadium next Friday while Richmond (5-16) face fellow cellar dwellars North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday. St Kilda have claimed their third tight win on the bounce, but coach Ross Lyon believes their brand of football is "all over the shop" and wants more consistency. The Saints trailed by eight points against Richmond at three-quarter time on Saturday before in-demand star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera helped turn the contest in their favour, helping deliver an 8.8 (56) to 7.10 (52) win. Richmond coach Adem Yze lamented one that got away, while Lyon downplayed consecutive tight wins against Melbourne (six points), North Melbourne (nine) and Richmond (four). The Saints had been keen to improve on poor first quarters and took an early 20-point lead, but then Richmond got into the game. "Our focus was Q1 - we did that, but then we just lost our way," Lyon said. "We're just trying to get better. So good teams play well. "Our brand's a little bit all over the shop at the minute, we've just got to get more consistent. Too big a wild swings - maybe that's a young group, I don't know. "Is it our coaching? Is it our training? We just have to keep diving in." Saturday afternoon's game, held in perfect, sunny conditions, proved a dour, low-scoring affair in front of 41,395 fans. "It was ugly. It was horrible skills - both teams," Lyon said. Wanganeen-Milera was quiet early but grew into the game off half-back, finishing with 33 disposals, 656 metres gained and a wonderful goal. He pulled up awkwardly with a corked left calf early in the fourth, but waved away the trainers and shortly after teed up two goals. The South Australian is in demand from both Port Adelaide and Adelaide, though St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena told 3AW radio he was "optimistic" the Saints could keep hold of him. Marcus Windhager had 24 disposals to halftime and finished with 32. Jack Sinclair (30 disposals) impressed on-ball late while Callum Wilkie (29 disposals, 16 marks) was excellent. Richmond's Nick Vlastuin was imperious behind the ball while the Tigers' midfield shared the load and Rhyan Mansell kicked two goals. The Saints raced away to an early 20-point lead before Mansell steadied Richmond late in the first term. St Kilda were celebrating captain Jack Steele's 200th game and former Tiger Jack Higgins' 100th AFL appearance as a Saint. There was a quirky moment when St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall gave away a free kick for taking Kamdyn McIntosh's head band off him in the second quarter. Wanganeen-Milera delivered a spark when he pounced on a loose ball, broke a tackle then snapped towards goal with the ball taking a wicked bounce to sneak through for a major. The Saints led by four points at the main break, but Richmond star Tim Taranto kicked a marvellous long-range goal just before the three-quarter time siren to deliver an eight-point lead. The final quarter proved an arm wrestle, but the Saints were more composed when it counted. "I feel like we could have won the game, we probably should have won the game and obviously that's a bitter pill to swallow," Yze said. "... We live week to week, and right now we feel like we left one out there." Richmond didn't use substitute Steely Green, who is set to play VFL on Saturday night. St Kilda (8-13) play Essendon at Marvel Stadium next Friday while Richmond (5-16) face fellow cellar dwellars North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday. St Kilda have claimed their third tight win on the bounce, but coach Ross Lyon believes their brand of football is "all over the shop" and wants more consistency. The Saints trailed by eight points against Richmond at three-quarter time on Saturday before in-demand star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera helped turn the contest in their favour, helping deliver an 8.8 (56) to 7.10 (52) win. Richmond coach Adem Yze lamented one that got away, while Lyon downplayed consecutive tight wins against Melbourne (six points), North Melbourne (nine) and Richmond (four). The Saints had been keen to improve on poor first quarters and took an early 20-point lead, but then Richmond got into the game. "Our focus was Q1 - we did that, but then we just lost our way," Lyon said. "We're just trying to get better. So good teams play well. "Our brand's a little bit all over the shop at the minute, we've just got to get more consistent. Too big a wild swings - maybe that's a young group, I don't know. "Is it our coaching? Is it our training? We just have to keep diving in." Saturday afternoon's game, held in perfect, sunny conditions, proved a dour, low-scoring affair in front of 41,395 fans. "It was ugly. It was horrible skills - both teams," Lyon said. Wanganeen-Milera was quiet early but grew into the game off half-back, finishing with 33 disposals, 656 metres gained and a wonderful goal. He pulled up awkwardly with a corked left calf early in the fourth, but waved away the trainers and shortly after teed up two goals. The South Australian is in demand from both Port Adelaide and Adelaide, though St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena told 3AW radio he was "optimistic" the Saints could keep hold of him. Marcus Windhager had 24 disposals to halftime and finished with 32. Jack Sinclair (30 disposals) impressed on-ball late while Callum Wilkie (29 disposals, 16 marks) was excellent. Richmond's Nick Vlastuin was imperious behind the ball while the Tigers' midfield shared the load and Rhyan Mansell kicked two goals. The Saints raced away to an early 20-point lead before Mansell steadied Richmond late in the first term. St Kilda were celebrating captain Jack Steele's 200th game and former Tiger Jack Higgins' 100th AFL appearance as a Saint. There was a quirky moment when St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall gave away a free kick for taking Kamdyn McIntosh's head band off him in the second quarter. Wanganeen-Milera delivered a spark when he pounced on a loose ball, broke a tackle then snapped towards goal with the ball taking a wicked bounce to sneak through for a major. The Saints led by four points at the main break, but Richmond star Tim Taranto kicked a marvellous long-range goal just before the three-quarter time siren to deliver an eight-point lead. The final quarter proved an arm wrestle, but the Saints were more composed when it counted. "I feel like we could have won the game, we probably should have won the game and obviously that's a bitter pill to swallow," Yze said. "... We live week to week, and right now we feel like we left one out there." Richmond didn't use substitute Steely Green, who is set to play VFL on Saturday night. St Kilda (8-13) play Essendon at Marvel Stadium next Friday while Richmond (5-16) face fellow cellar dwellars North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday.