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Full Noise by SN
"Dumbest coaching move this year": Cornes torches St Kilda
SEN • March 16th, 2026 9:52 am
Ross Lyon's decision to bench Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera in the fourth quarter of St Kilda's loss to the Melbourne Demons could go down as the "dumbest coaching move this season", according to Kane Cornes.
It was anyone's game at the MCG when it was decided the superstar - who had kicked three goals - was seen running from the ground.
St Kilda's deficit at the time was 12 points and Wanganeen-Milera spent the next six minutes on the side.
As time ran out, the Saints fell to their second defeat of the season, the Demons winning by 13 points.
Asked about the reasoning for taking his star player out of the game, Lyon said: “I’m glad you’re focusing on that."
He then went on to dance around the question.
“It was really simple; (Wanganeen-Milera) had a licence to go anywhere. He was getting tagged, so you just put (pressure) on a tag and you open up your forward line,” he said.
“I said, ‘mate, you can go and take a kick-in, you can go behind the ball, you can go to the stoppage or you can go (to the bench)’.
“Sometimes you’ve got to let them drive the car … but it’s a steep learning curve. We’re not a proven top-four team or finalist, and with a lot of experience to just edge him on a little bit better than we are.
“I thought he fought. I’ll take three goals from him.”
Lyon's refusal to give a straight or full answer was one thing but it was the initial coaching decisions that left Cornes and others stunned.
"You can send him back on," Cornes said. "You can't go to centre bounce from the bench in crunch time.
"Its going to be hard to beat as the dumbest coaching move this year. What are they doing with Nasiah?
"I think you need strong coaching. If you are a team that needs to win now - and there’s debate about the Saints - I would have thought the build up to this year means they’re in it to win a final this year. Finals, top 8 or top 6 is the pass mark. I think you have to win a final.
"They were fine, they will be a tough game, they will get on a roll soon. But you drop the first two against sides you think will be around you and it hurts. It's going to be hard to beat as the most mis-managed pieces this year when the game was on the line and not the first time. Last week was not a great coaching role.
"If he stays out there they probably win."
Cornes' Fireball co-host took issue with a second coaching issue at St Kilda.
"I didn't think they were too bad yesterday," King said. "The other thing they're getting wrong is they're not using the second best player they have, the magnet that is Max Hall. This guys is a total star.
"Recruiters annoy me, they talk in code about players and how they do things. All this rubbish they talk. This guy came in as a mid year pick, he has played two and a half seasons and he is their second best players.
"26 touches yesterday 13 score involvements.
"He was as much a reason they won that “Nasiah” game last year as Nas. he went in for 10 centre bounces in that game, he's hardly done it since. What are they doing with Max Hall? Get the bits and pieces players out of the way.
"Hall needs top be in for a dozen centre bounces a match. Everything he touches turns to gold. Get him in the guts and let him play."
