Latest news with #MarcusWindhager
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Since Adam was a boy': Lyon defends Windhager
Ross Lyon has derided the focus on his tagger Marcus Windhager, saying star AFL midfielders have had close attention "since Adam was a boy". The St Kilda coach was unimpressed that the AFL Tribunal upheld Windhager's fine for striking Collingwood opponent Nick Daicos, predicting a surge in penalties as a result. Lyon and his Collingwood counterpart Craig McRae have been vocal about the Windhager-Daicos duel, which highlighted last Saturday night's clash. Marcus Windhager has been offered a striking fine ($1500 down to $1000 with an early plea) for this incident with Nick Daicos. @FOXFOOTY — David Zita (@DavidZita1) June 22, 2025 "Just to be clear, what are the tactics? I don't understand," Lyon asked at a Friday morning pre-training media conference. "Sorry for going out and competing. I thought you were allowed to compete in AFL - I never knew playing on someone was a tactic, manning up at stoppage. "Since Adam was a boy, people have played and the great midfielders get tighter attention, that's just the way it is." In reference to Windhager's fine, Lyon said: "It set a high standard for contact, hasn't it? It's really interesting. "There are going to be a lot of fines in the AFL." Lyon would not confirm Windhager's assignment for the game in Perth on Sunday against Fremantle. But on Thursday, gun Dockers midfielder Caleb Serong said he and teammate Andrew Brayshaw would "embrace" the match-up. "Terrific - well done Caleb," was Lyon's reply. The Saints coach said the umpiring department had visited the club during the week and had discussed several issues, including how Windhager can let the umpires know when opponents try to disrupt his tagging role. This will be the first time Lyon coaches against his old club in Perth. He coached the Dockers from 2012-19, taking them to the 2013 grand final. "That's not something I've thought about ... it's a decade ago. It's part of my history, I'm proud of what we achieved there," Lyon said. "I walk back in comfortably." He also said there was no succession plan in place for senior assistant coach Corey Enright, following media speculation this week. "He can have it today if he wants - I don't know if I really (want to) go over to Perth," Lyon said, as a joke. "We'll just continue to grow him. There's nothing anywhere in writing or any agreement. "Clearly I have less summers in front of me than I've seen, right? So it probably applies to my football coaching as well. "It's above my station in life at the club. It's certainly not something that's present or front of mind ... (but) it's a nice theory, we like it." Lyon and football boss Dave Misson also spoke about key forward Max King, who will not play at all this season because of an ongoing knee problem. "We feel like we've identified the problem, the meniscus repair. We feel like his knee is in good shape," Lyon said. "We wish we had gotten to it earlier, but we didn't, for a whole bunch of reasons that I can't explain." Misson said they are "pretty confident" after King's latest surgery in the past few days that when he resumes running in three months, there will be no more problems. King went to Adelaide and had a special ultrasound to work out why his knee kept having "clunking" episodes when he was running
Daily Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
AFL 2025: Ross Lyon doubles down on Marcus Windhager defence
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has again defended tagger Marcus Windhager after his highly documented role on Collingwood star Nick Daicos. Windhager was issued a $1500 fine for his shove to the chest of Daicos in the opening 10 seconds of their entertaining battle last Saturday night. Lyon post-game asked whether there were two sets of rules for certain players and said he would seek clarification from the AFL on two early free kicks. He gave little away about the umpire explanation on those free kicks but said the league was poised to make a windfall after setting the benchmark for fineable contact. 'It's set a high standard for contact, hasn't it? It's really interesting. That's interesting in itself, there's going to be a lot of fines in the AFL,' he said. All eyes were on the Daicos-Windhager battle on Saturday night. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'Marcus was in the rules, I think the umpires just tried to stamp stuff early, there's a lot of noise. 'Collingwood come and supported, Marcus was physically grabbed and dragged off, he gets some clarity, put your hands in the air so it's easy to see you're getting tackled without the ball in the stoppage.' Windhager was critiqued for parts of his coverage of Daicos, specifically the apparent knee to the back of the Magpie's hamstring. Lyon bristled when asked if Windhager would use those 'tactics' this Sunday against any of Fremantle's midfielders. 'Just to be clear, what are the tactics? I don't quite understand … sorry for going out and competing, I thought you were allowed to compete in the AFL,' he said. 'I never knew playing on someone was a tactic, manning up at the stoppage; since Adam was a boy people have played and great midfielders get tighter attention.' Windhager kept close tabs on Daicos. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images Fremantle ball-winner Caleb Serong said he would 'embrace' the company of Windhager if he was St Kilda's target. 'If it's really challenging, then you to go to the levers you can pull around stoppage and the team things that we'll work on,' Serong said on Thursday. 'But first and foremost, you've got to embrace it and stick to your guns.' Lyon responded to Serong's comments in trademark fashion. 'Terrific. Well done, Caleb,' he said. Originally published as AFL 2025: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon doubles down on Marcus Windhager defence
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon doubles down on Marcus Windhager defence
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has again defended tagger Marcus Windhager after his highly documented role on Collingwood star Nick Daicos. Windhager was issued a $1500 fine for his shove to the chest of Daicos in the opening 10 seconds of their entertaining battle last Saturday night. Lyon post-game asked whether there were two sets of rules for certain players and said he would seek clarification from the AFL on two early free kicks. He gave little away about the umpire explanation on those free kicks but said the league was poised to make a windfall after setting the benchmark for fineable contact. 'It's set a high standard for contact, hasn't it? It's really interesting. That's interesting in itself, there's going to be a lot of fines in the AFL,' he said. 'Marcus was in the rules, I think the umpires just tried to stamp stuff early, there's a lot of noise. 'Collingwood come and supported, Marcus was physically grabbed and dragged off, he gets some clarity, put your hands in the air so it's easy to see you're getting tackled without the ball in the stoppage.' Windhager was critiqued for parts of his coverage of Daicos, specifically the apparent knee to the back of the Magpie's hamstring. Lyon bristled when asked if Windhager would use those 'tactics' this Sunday against any of Fremantle's midfielders. 'Just to be clear, what are the tactics? I don't quite understand … sorry for going out and competing, I thought you were allowed to compete in the AFL,' he said. 'I never knew playing on someone was a tactic, manning up at the stoppage; since Adam was a boy people have played and great midfielders get tighter attention.' Fremantle ball-winner Caleb Serong said he would 'embrace' the company of Windhager if he was St Kilda's target. 'If it's really challenging, then you to go to the levers you can pull around stoppage and the team things that we'll work on,' Serong said on Thursday. 'But first and foremost, you've got to embrace it and stick to your guns.' Lyon responded to Serong's comments in trademark fashion.
Perth Now
7 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
‘If someone comes after one of us, he comes after all of us'
Fremantle's Luke Ryan has sent a warning to St Kilda tagger Marcus Windhager, saying the whole team is ready to wear him down should he try to clamp down on Caleb Serong. As the Dockers look to make it six straight wins, they will be itching to gain some revenge over former mentor Ross Lyon and his Saints after they were humbled by 61 points in round eight. That game saw Serong kept to his lowest disposal total since round 17, 2020, gathering 15 touches including just four kicks. Ahead of their rematch on Sunday, Ryan said they have learnt their lessons from that defeat and can turn any potential tag into a strength for the Dockers. 'Caleb and Andrew Brayshaw are in terrific form, so they do get tagged a little bit, but we don't worry about it too much,' he said on SEN. 'We try to manipulate them. If Windhager is going to go to us, then Caleb will go to Andy's man and free him up, so sometimes we think it works in our favour. 'Those two boys are really good at fighting and working it out, and we do have a team approach for it. If someone comes after one of us, he comes after all of us, so we'll wear them down. Marcus Windhager has been Ross Lyon's cheif tagger. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images 'So I'm not sure who he'll go to, but he'll have his hands full because they're in terrific form.' The Dockers have not won six in a row since 2022, and Ryan said while they're still building the Dockers have narrowed the gap between their best and worst. 'I thought the start of the year we were pretty inconsistent, but the last five or six weeks we've been building, and we're worrying about ourselves a bit more, which is good,' he said. 'If we keep on that path, I think we'll be in a lot of games. 'We haven't really watched any vision of St Kilda until now, but it's mainly going to be about us and playing our way, cause we know our game stacks up.' One question still hanging over the Dockers is the fitness of their captain Alex Pearce, who has missed the last three games with a shin complaint and is listed as a test for this weekend. However, Ryan was confident his return to the backline was imminent. 'He looks good, he had his shirt off the other day at training, as always when it's freezing, ' he joked. 'He's one of those ones who's had a hot spot, so he'll train today and see how he pulls up tomorrow, but he's really confident, so if not this week, it will be next week. Sunday's clash will also be Fremantle's Starlight Foundation game with fans able to pledge any dollar amount for each Dockers goal which will be matched by South32 up to $50,000. 'I think we raised over $3.4 million, and you get a bit emotional when you see the families with the sick kids and the smiles on their faces, so it's an amazing day,' Ryan said.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tagging is nothing new in the AFL and an issue best left to the umpire on the day
St Kilda midfielder Marcus Windhager crossed a line while trying to clamp down on Collingwood star Nick Daicos. A pair of free kicks awarded to Daicos against Windhager, and a $1,000 fine later imposed on the Saint, are a small price to pay out of their running battle on Saturday night. It was all part of a two-way tussle that Ross Lyon called 'a bit of theatre' as he defended his combative midfielder after the game that the Magpies won by 34 points. The Saints' coach even queried whether there are 'two sets of rules going around' – but Lyon is unlikely to like the answer he receives, while a greater good can come from the spotlight being shined on Windhager's tagging tactics Daicos isn't the first AFL player to face a tagger. Let's hope he isn't the last. Only the most one-eyed supporters want to see the stars of the game treated like a protected species while running around doing as they please. Close-checking on a potential match-winner – whether a gun midfielder or dangerous forward – does not have to be a blight on the game. It tends to throw a pinch of spice into the contest and can add to the spectacle between two otherwise far from evenly-matched teams. The Magpies' vice-captain knows what is coming his way each time he laces up his boots. The umpires are surely aware too, while holding the keys to punishing and in turn preventing foul play. But even with the extra eyeballs of having four field umpires watching the game up close, Windhager was hardly sanctioned as he niggled, pinched, scragged and lifted his knee into the back of Daicos's leg. 'They both had their moments, Daicos had a fair bit of ball,' Lyon said after the game. 'I know we'll probably go early, look at a couple of those free kicks, I'm not sure they were free kicks. But I think we'll take that in and ask the question, are there two sets of rules going around? I'm not sure.' Windhager made his intentions clear before the opening bounce, as he bumped and pushed Daicos in the middle of the ground. These were typical tactics for someone tasked with limiting the influence of one of the best players in the game. Immediately after the first bounce the umpires put Windhager on high alert. An open-handed whack into Daicos's midriff left the Magpie searching for breath as he prepared to take his free kick. Windhager stood the mark smirking and shaking his head over the decision, but the match review officer backed the umpire's call as a fine was handed down the following day. Long gone are the days when the leading players, or their teammates, can take matters into their own hands. But Daicos turned the tables at the next centre bounce when he brought Windhager to ground in a tackle and was prepared to give away a free kick to make his own statement when shoving the Saint back into the turf. The clashes continued for the remainder of the game though Windhager would give away just one more free kick to Daicos for holding onto him without the ball. The effectiveness of giving up one player to nullify the impact of an opponent will remain one up for debate. When it works, it can be a game-changer. Though having only 17 players focused on the ball too often leaves a side competing like they are one short. Windhager tagged Daicos for 36 minutes when the two sides last met, before the shackles were released after half-time. Daicos finished with 22 disposals and three clearances on a relatively quiet day. Windhager earned two coaches votes for his 24 touches and seven clearances as the Saints pulled away to a shock win over the then-reigning premier. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion The Saints' disruptor-in-chief has become one of the best run-with players in the game. He restricted Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli to his lowest disposal count for five years with only 14 last week. Windhager played his role, but it could not prevent the Saints being trounced by 72 points. 'The job of the tagger is to disrupt, isn't it? That's his job. He's doing that within the rules, I suppose, if they don't pick it up,' McRae told Fox Footy on Saturday night. 'I'm not going to comment on the kneeing and things like that. That's obviously up to others to decide if that's a bit too far. 'I just loved how Nick got on with it tonight. One of the big things with being a tagger is, 'let's see if they can go with you?' Some weeks they can run with you, some weeks they can't. Again, I thought Nick won that battle.' Daicos was back to being one of the best afield this time against the Saints with 30 disposals and five clearances. The 22-year-old even had a final say with a team-lifting goal late in the game. Whether Windhager is sent to Daicos for round three the next time the Saints and Pies meet is something for Lyon to decide. But whether any cheap shots and underhand tactics are stamped out or allowed to run free is a question that should be left for the umpires of the day.
