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Sport Nation
Lyon reveals what he told shattered Phillipou
SEN • June 22nd, 2025 6:37 pm
With his 2025 season already derailed by a stress fracture which kept him out until Round 9, there were heart wrenching scenes at Marvel on Saturday night as St Kilda young gun Matteas Phillipou was withdrawn minutes before the bounce.
The 20-year-old was visibly shattered after hearing the news he was a late out.
Phillipou missed the start of the season, returned nine weeks later for three games, only to then sustain a plantaris issue against Melbourne in Round 13.
He sat out the Round 14 clash against the Bulldogs to be right for Collingwood, but it all fell apart in the team’s second warm-up when he felt a sharp pain in his calf.
Explaining in detail what happened, Ross Lyon said: “Our sports science (group) were a bit concerned he could do a soft-tissue injury under a full game.
“And he was going to play and we were (going to give him a full game).
“He was in the warm-up...so it was like we’ll keep him. Everything’s smooth and then I got a call from Dave Misson (to say) ‘Mattias is sore in that part of this leg’.
“Not dramatically but he was pretty upset with it all and we said no worries, no problem. I got on the phone, I said ‘mate don’t worry about it, you’re fine, we love you, don’t get too upset, let’s get you right’.
“He’ll be upset, I’ll get to him and we’ll work our way through it.”
Ryan Byrnes took Phillipou’s place with Tobie Travaglia the sub.
Collingwood ran out 34-point winners at Marvel Stadium meaning the Saints have lost eight of its last 10 games leaving them worryingly close (15th) to the bottom of the ladder.
St Kilda travel to Fremantle next weekend before a home clash against Hawthorn in early July.
