Updated ,first published
Ross Lyon offered to reconsider his position as St Kilda coach after a comment he made at training upset Indigenous players at the club, according to a TV report on Monday night.
The veteran AFL coach, in his second stint at St Kilda, told Age columnist and Channel Seven’s Agenda Setters panellist Caroline Wilson that a comment he made at training earlier this month “didn’t land where it should have landed” and could have been construed as “casual racism”.
Wilson reported on the program that multiple grand final coach Lyon, after a training drill in which three Indigenous players linked up, said: “I love the Brotherboy connection, but we all have to remember we are part of a bigger team here.”
According to Wilson, the comment was not received well by some St Kilda players, including veteran Indigenous player Bradley Hill and the club’s superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
“This comment did not sit well – certainly not with Brad Hill or Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera or any of the other Indigenous players who heard the comment.
“That was on Friday. On Saturday night Brad Hill .… called Ross and communicated his displeasure to Ross Lyon.”
According to the TV program, Lyon and some of the club’s players then met to discuss the matter.
“I can tell you that everyone got a bit emotional at this meeting. The players and Ross all hugged,” Wilson said.
“I asked Ross whether he felt that the issue had been resolved. He didn’t want to speak for his players. He’s spoken to Bradley Hill tonight as a result of knowing what we’re going to report on the show.
“My understanding is that Bradley Hill and all of his teammates, including Nasiah, who were not happy, were satisfied and absolutely accepted that Ross had said the wrong thing, but in no way meant to be racist.
“I think Brad Hill made the point to Ross on the Saturday night, ‘Look, you wouldn’t have said that if it was three white players, so you shouldn’t have said it to us’.”
In his statement to Agenda Setters, Lyon, who has coached close to 400 AFL matches at St Kilda and Fremantle, said he “learned a lot out of what happened”.
“I’m not here to justify or try to rationalise what I said. We are all only as good as our next moment and it was a moment I understand I misjudged,” Lyon said in the statement.
“Was I being flippant? Could it be described as casual racism?
“It didn’t land where it should have landed and I have to wear that and I take full responsibility for what I said.
“I was very emotional at the meeting, and I offered to consider my position.”
St Kilda have been contacted for comment.
Exciting Dons forward goes down with ‘medium term’ injury
Peter Ryan
Essendon have been struck another injury blow as emerging forward Isaac Kako is ruled out with a stress injury in his back.
The 20-year-old kicked a clever goal on Anzac Day but was starved of opportunity as he collected 10 touches.
He has kicked seven goals in six matches but has been showing signs of improvement as he played his 29th game for the Bombers in just his second season.
Essendon football manager Dan MacPherson said the issue was revealed when Kako had scans on Monday morning.
“It’s a really disappointing setback for Isaac, who’d been playing some exciting footy for us in the early stages of this season,” MacPherson said.
“He’ll need to enter a period of rest now to let the injury settle, before building back up towards a return to play later in the season.”
The club identified his period of absence as medium term, which could mean between six and eight weeks, but was not prepared to be definitive.
Sullivan Robey, who played his third match on Saturday, had an interrupted pre-season with a hot spot in his back.
Kako, a next genereration academy graduate, was pick 13 in the 2024 national draft. He was part of an inexperienced forward line on Saturday alongside Robey, Nate Caddy, Archer Day-Wicks and Archer May.
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