How St Kilda plans to turn Nasiah-Wanganeen-Milera into a great

Andrew McLeod terrified St Kilda fans in the 1997 Grand Final, but Ross Lyon hopes Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera can go to another level and turn into a nightmare for the rest of the competition.

St Kilda fans still have nightmares about Andrew McLeod’s Grand Final dominance on his way to the 1997 Norm Smith Medal.

Now the club might have its own triple threat capable of finals-winning feats as coach Ross Lyon used that comparison to laud star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera’s development.

On a night where Sam Mitchell declared Wanganeen-Milera basically untaggable despite trying as many as four opponents, the 22-year-old amassed 43 disposals, 1010 metres gained and 15 last-term disposals.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera of the Saints in action on Saturday night. Picture: Mark Stewart

The beauty of Wanganeen-Milera is that he is footy’s most dangerous half back, has kicked three goals playing forward against the Giants this year and now has the tank to play pure midfield.

As Lyon explained, the club’s determination to play him as a centre square mid was curtailed by groin soreness.

Now a player being offered the world by rivals has the tank to overcome taggers and make an impact when shifted into the midfield in the last term against the Hawks.

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said he would have “nightmares” about Wanganeen-Milera, with Lyon still admitting he was unsure if his star utility would remain despite a two-year offer.

“They went to him to try and shut him down,” Lyon said.

“He really worked for the team and helped free up people and helped us. He still got it. We injected him into the midfield and I thought he was electric.

“We did that early (this year) and he wasn’t quite conditioned for it, his groins got a little bit sore. But we know what we’re building. Ultimately, Andrew McLeod used to play half-back, midfield, forward when he won his Norm Smith. Malcolm Blight moved him through the lines.

“We know he’s got half-back, we know he’s got midfield, and I think he can do a bit of forward stuff. We’ve got a long-term plan that he becomes great, rather than just a great half-back.”

Wanganeen-Milera’s 43 possessions were a career-high, as were his 1010 metres gained.

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera poses with the Silk-Miller Memorial Medal. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Hawthorn attempted to have Jack Ginnivan curtail his influence in a defensive role playing 26 minutes in a direct match-up.

Connor Macdonald (20 minutes), Dylan Moore (15 minutes) and Josh Ward (14 minutes) also spent time on Wanganeen-Milera with little impact.

Wanganeen-Milera’s brilliant form as the No. 11 pick in the national draft in the 2021 national draft only strengthens that drafts’s claims as footy’s superdraft.

Jason Horne Francis (pick one), Sam Darcy (pick two), Finn Callaghan (pick three), Nick Daicos (pick four) and Mac Andrew (pick five) are followed by the likes of Jye Amiss, with Darcy Wilmot, Kai Lohmann, Mitch Owens and Paul Curtis also taken in that draft.

Originally published as How St Kilda plans to turn Nasiah-Wanganeen-Milera into a great