St Kilda Saints boss Carl Dilena backs Ross Lyon spray of players in loss to Brisbane Lions; Carlton Blues defender Jack Silvagni breaks his hand

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Saturday’s loss was the first time since Lyon returned to Moorabbin that the Saints had conceded more than 100 points for three weeks in a row.

Lyon’s frustration was evident when he made a bold, early call and subbed off Hugo Garcia, 19, in the second term and replaced him with veteran Zak Jones.

Fan footage later emerged of Lyon giving Garcia and Ryan Byrnes an almighty spray on the bench, particularly towards Garcia.

Dilena said Lyon was within his rights to have taken aim at Garcia.

“Personally, I would just make a personal comment – I love that aspect,” Dilena said.

“Anyone that has been a parent and has dealt with kids, you can cuddle them and nurture them as much as you like, but occasionally, occasionally, there might be a couple of stern words that go in there as well.

“Ross is an experienced coach. He is just driven to get the absolute best out of our players, and raise the standards of our club. For him, being very tolerant and very cuddly for a while – for him to occasionally come out and give someone a bake, I think that is good.”

Lyon’s decision to activate his substitute so early – he later said during a prickly press conference that he “pulled the sub to get something done” – ultimately meant the Saints were a man short on the interchange when Mason Wood was concussed late in the game.

Injured defender Zaine Cordy, who did not play on Saturday and was not in the team meeting, praised Lyon for showing “that he cares and wants us to do well”.

“We have got certain expectations, we probably haven’t been living up to them,” Cordy, nursing a pectoral injury, said.

While Lyon, a four-time grand final coach, said he knows what the “promised land” looks like, the Saints are mired in the middle rungs of the ladder.

They have been rebuffed in their attempts to snare established rival talent, including Jacob Weitering, Finn Callaghan, Jordan De Goey, Zach Merrett and Luke Davies-Uniacke.

They have a reported whopping $1.7 million per season deal before Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning, although veteran club recruiters Stephen Silvagni and Graeme Allan have, even internally, attempted to keep their plans a closely guarded secret, apart from acknowledging they have considerable cap space to work with.

Dilena said the Saints would continue to pursue elite talent.

“All clubs, including ourselves, are in the market all the time looking for talent to bring in – we have made no secret of that,” he said.

“We will keep doing what we can to bring as much talent as we can to the club.”

Silvagni set for surgery

Peter Ryan

Carlton defender Jack Silvagni will have surgery after suffering a broken hand in Sunday’s win over Geelong.

The 27-year-old showed courage to play through the injury, which was sustained in the first quarter. He spent time in the rooms receiving treatment before returning to the field to play a crucial role in the win.

His bravery also allowed the Blues to keep their rotations going after they lost Zac Williams to a calf injury at quarter-time.

A competition source, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed Silvagni’s injury, with the timeline for his return unclear, although early indications are that he will not be sidelined for an extended period.

Key forward Harry McKay praised Silvagni, who has been a revelation in defence in 2025, after Sunday’s match.

“Every week he’s not only getting a job done, but he’s generating offensive ball movement and he’s been huge, so I love playing with SOS,” McKay said.

The Blues are yet to comment on the injuries, with Adam Cerra also leaving the ground late in the game, having clutched at his groin after an errant kick. Their resounding win over the Cats put them back in the hunt after an awful start to the season when they lost their first four games.

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