Guard Your Wallet: Saints Coach Ross Lyon Under Fire for Bold Statement Amid Nick Daicos Tag Dilemma

St Kilda’s head coach Ross Lyon has been advised to “save your money” amidst his concerns regarding umpiring decisions involving Collingwood’s standout, Nick Daicos.

The spotlight has once again fallen on the role of the tagger in Australian football, particularly after Saints player Marcus Windhager was assigned to contain Daicos in their 34-point defeat to the Magpies on Saturday.

Unlike many other coaches this season who opted not to tag Daicos, Lyon handed the responsibility to Windhager at Marvel Stadium.

The tactic of ‘tagging’ involves a player focusing their defensive efforts on a single opponent, aiming to restrict their possession and impact on the game, often at the cost of their own statistics. It’s a strategy typically reserved for curtailing the influence of the league’s most prominent midfielders.

In their round 15 clash against St Kilda, Daicos, widely considered one of the top on-ballers in the AFL, recorded 30 disposals and managed to kick a goal.

Daicos was awarded four free kicks during this match, all attributed to Windhager’s actions, which left Lyon fuming at the officiating.

“I’m not convinced those were free kicks,” Lyon remarked post-match.

“We will definitely raise this issue and ask whether there are different rules being interpreted. I’m not sure.”

Some AFL supporters have jokingly suggested that Daicos receives preferential treatment from the umpires.

Essendon great James Hird argues that Lyon may struggle to substantiate his claims if he chooses to petition AFL House this week.

“There are four free kicks Ross is likely to present to the AFL… my hunch is he’ll receive ‘free kick, free kick, free kick, free kick’,” Hird commented during an appearance on Nine’s Footy Furnace.

“It’s probably not worth pursuing, Ross; I’d suggest you conserve your funds.”

“Taggers are a fundamental aspect of the game, they serve an important purpose in neutralising an opponent, but if those taggers overstep the mark, free kicks should certainly be awarded, and in this instance, those free kicks were warranted.”

“As a coach with a tagger, you should expect them to concede a few free kicks. I believe they are here to stay.”

One of Windhager’s infractions has resulted in a fine from the match review officer, which the Saints plan to contest at the tribunal.

The function of taggers has faced scrutiny in recent years, with many coaches moving away from this style of play.

Opponents of assigning a player to a strict shutdown role argue it diminishes the player’s potential to shine and limits the game’s biggest stars.

Nevertheless, Geelong legend Jimmy Bartel maintains the tag isn’t going anywhere, and players like Daicos must adapt accordingly.

“Tagging has existed for nearly as long as AFL has been around,” Bartel stated in an interview with Nine’s Today.

“The recent absence of tagging has likely led to questions about how aggressive the approach can be. Unfortunately for Nick Daicos, this is going to be part of his football reality—much like Gary Ablett Jr., Chris Judd, and Marcus Bontempelli, they will find themselves heavily targeted, and teams will go to great lengths to complicate their game.”

“I believe the umpires managed the situation well.”