Marcus Windhager of the Saints
St Kilda midfielder Marcus Windhager has received a suspension from the AFL’s Match Review Officer following an incident during Saturday’s match against Essendon. The incident, which occurred in the second quarter involving Windhager and Essendon’s Sam Durham, led to Windhager being offered a one-game ban. The Match Review Officer assessed the incident as involving careless conduct, medium impact, and high contact, resulting in the imposed suspension. Should Windhager accept the charge, he will be ineligible for selection in Round 4, when St Kilda plays against Richmond. Subsequently, Windhager would be eligible for selection in the following week’s match against GWS at Manuka Oval on Saturday, April 13th.
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In a separate matter, Melbourne’s Trent Rivers has the option to accept a $2500 fine with an early guilty plea for rough conduct against Port Adelaide’s Conor Rozee. The incident involving Rivers was categorized as careless conduct, low impact, and high contact. Should Rivers contest the charge unsuccessfully, the fine would increase to $3750. Notably, there were no additional charges reported from Saturday’s matches.
St Kilda Coach Ross Lyon Analyzes Team’s Performance and Mentality After Loss to Essendon.
St Kilda head coach Ross Lyon has expressed concerns about the determination of his players following their late-game fade in Saturday’s narrow loss to Essendon by four points.
With a 1-1 record going into Saturday’s match against the Dons, St Kilda missed an opportunity to improve their standing in the competition due to their inability to close out the tightly contested game.
Despite leading at each break in the game, St Kilda was ultimately undone by both the Bombers and their own inaccuracies.
Lyon emphasized post-game that too few players stepped up late in the match to secure what could have been a crucial victory.
He remarked, “Sometimes a strong start, with eight shots to two, can lead to complacency. If one player decides to rely solely on (Jack) Steele’s efforts, it can set a dangerous precedent, leading to vulnerability in a demanding competition where hunger is paramount.”
However, Lyon was also quick to offer support to his young players, recognizing that such experiences are part of the learning curve at the elite level.
He stated, “It’s a tough competition, especially for young players like (Marcus) Windhager and Nas (Wanganeen-Milera) who showed promise last week. With mentors like Corey Enright and Robert Harvey, they need to consistently perform at a high level, which will come with increased fitness and mental resilience.”
Looking ahead, St Kilda will have an opportunity to even their win-loss record when they face Richmond at the MCG next Sunday afternoon.
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