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SEN • May 3rd, 2025 1:20 pm
St Kilda youngster Hugo Garcia has conceded that he deserved the whack he copped from coach Ross Lyon during last weekend’s 45-point defeat to Brisbane.
Vision of Lyon delivering an almighty spray to his team at half-time of the match went viral with Garcia copping the brunt of it after being subbed off during the second quarter.
It clearly worked because the 19-year-old, playing just his 17th career game against Fremantle, recorded 19 disposals, five clearances, 10 tackles and one goal in the Saints’ 61-point victory against on Friday night.
“Sometimes you need that whack and last week I deserved it,” Garcia told the Herald Sun.
“You need that whack just to get you going and really put you back in line, which I love. He (Lyon) is an awesome coach.
“It’s just that next moment mentality for me and that bounce back and I had good support this week from all the senior players.
“Stuff like that’s going to happen and you’ve just got to bounce back and learn from it and get to the coaches, get to the senior players that know better and just continue to grow. I’m only a young player.”
Often called out for his fiery approach, Lyon defended his public meltdown and was full of praise for the manner in which Garcia responded.
“He’s a ripping kid,” he said after victory against the Dockers.
“He said to me, ‘I’m not going to be a victim. I grew up not being a victim’.
“There’s plenty of people who choose to be victims that don’t need to be.”
