St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera simply met expectations after the young star racked up a career-high 46 disposals in a dominant 67-point victory over bottom-placed Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Career-Best Performance
Wanganeen-Milera, who also gathered one goal and 906 metres gained, was named best afield as St Kilda triumphed 17.15 (117) to 7.8 (50). The 22-year-old set a new personal-best disposal tally for the second consecutive match, having previously achieved 42 touches against Fremantle.
Bradley Hill contributed 42 disposals before finishing with a limp after having his foot stood on in the final stages. Lyon downplayed concerns: “We wait and assess. Things that you think are innocuous turn out to be something more significant, and things you think are significant turn out to be innocuous. Until it’s 72 hours out, you’re never that confident.”
Coaching Perspective
Lyon praised his midfield duo, stating: “We expect them to be (prolific). They’re experienced and top-level players. They play to the level that’s required, to be honest. We don’t see it as a bonus.”
The Saints improved to seven wins and nine losses, sitting one win outside the finals places. Essendon, meanwhile, slumped to a 1-15 record, still winless in five games under interim coach Dean Solomon.
Team Contributions
St Kilda posted a triple-figure score for the seventh time this season, with multiple contributors. Max Hall (33 disposals), Hugo Garcia (29), and Mason Wood (27) were prominent ball-winners, while Callum Wilkie anchored the defence. Darcy Wilson impressed with two goals from 25 touches.
Liam Ryan, Rowan Marshall, Jack Higgins, and Anthony Caminiti (two each) were among 12 goal-kickers. Wilson opened the scoring within the first minute, and St Kilda never trailed, piling on eight goals to one in the second quarter to lead by 71 points at one stage.
Essendon Struggles
Essendon lacked momentum and control throughout, despite strong efforts from Sam Durham (24 disposals, nine clearances) and Zach Merrett (28 touches). Key forward Nate Caddy finished with 3.3 from 12 disposals.
Solomon acknowledged the difficulty but denied the players had lost hope: “They’re pretty proud individually and collectively. It’s a jumper we love and a club we love, so they’re disappointed. They’re still there, they want to fight until the end and they want to finish (the season) with momentum. It’s very tough now. We know that and we understand that, but we won’t fracture ... at the moment it’s a tough period of time, but we stick together.”
