St Kilda superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera will miss more football after a scan in Melbourne revealed he has a calf strain. The talented midfielder was a late withdrawal from Saturday's clash with the Suns, with Saints coach Ross Lyon revealing he had been recovering from a corked leg muscle ahead of the game.
Questions over travel decisions
After that revelation, questions emerged as to why the club flew Wanganeen-Milera to Darwin in the first place. Now, he is expected to miss at least three more games, and AFL premiership player Kane Cornes has put St Kilda firmly in the gun.
On Monday night, Cornes asked whether the Saints "mismanaged" Wanganeen-Milera. "I know players are sore and there's different issues that bob up but ideally you don't fly him up to Darwin," he said. "Get there, be managed out of the game and then fly home for four hours with a bleed in your leg and hopefully get up for Richmond this week. It's not a major issue but it's just one they've mismanaged."
Pressed by Nick Riewoldt on teams giving their best players a chance to play, Cornes said he thought St Kilda would have had "a bit more information" to decide before the four-hour flight. "Hopefully he plays this week, hopefully he plays well and that will dictate how they've managed this," he concluded on Monday night's episode.
Second scan confirms strain
A day later, with Wanganeen-Milera's calf strain confirmed, Cornes returned with receipts. "I had the argument with Nick Riewoldt last night that it wasn't a great idea to take Nas to Darwin, four hours up and back on a plane," he said. "You've got a tear in your calf. You think it was a good idea for his performance to fly eight hours and now he's out three weeks? I said if he comes back and plays well all good. But he's set for an extended spell on the sidelines, a major blow. They should've handled that better."
Wanganeen-Milera will miss a low-stakes clash with Richmond this weekend before St Kilda's finals credentials are challenged against top-four teams Fremantle and Hawthorn. "We gave Nas every opportunity to get up for Saturday night (against Gold Coast), but ultimately decided to err on the side of caution," Saints football boss Lenny Hayes told the club website. "Despite presenting with minimal pain, results from his latest scan have confirmed a minor strain."
Wilkie's streak in doubt
Meanwhile, co-captain Cal Wilkie will need to pass a fitness test to play against the Tigers to keep his consecutive games streak alive. Wilkie, who is up to 164 straight after not missing a game since his debut, was forced off the ground when Suns forward Ben King kneed him in the back in a marking contest. Hayes said a scan had cleared Wilkie of internal damage. Jack Higgins could resume from concussion, but Liam Ryan is also out of action for three weeks with a calf injury.
