St Kilda forward Anthony Caminiti’s three-match ban for an off-the-ball hit on Collingwood’s Nathan Murphy should serve as a lesson in self-control, his coach Ross Lyon says.
A disappointed Lyon has reminded Caminiti of other ways to take out his frustration in the face of extra attention from opponents after an impressive start to his AFL career.
The 19-year-old will miss Sunday’s first-versus-fourth clash with Carlton, as well as games against Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.
Experienced forward Tim Membrey is set to take Caminiti’s place in the side, having overcome a knee injury that sidelined him early in the season.
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“It’s disappointing to lose any player,” Lyon told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s part of his learning curve. He’s been on the radar, he’s got plenty of press. (Collingwood) are a good team and they were hungry, they defended him strongly.
Anthony Caminiti of the Saints celebrates a goal. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
“There’s physical contact, sometimes as a forward you get buffeted a bit and you react. It’s how you react. It’s a good lesson for him to control what he can.”
St Kilda were successful at Tuesday night’s tribunal hearing in arguing Caminiti’s high strike on Murphy was careless, rather than intentional as it was initially graded by the match review officer.
The AFL had pushed for a five-match suspension if the original grading was upheld by the tribunal. Murphy was concussed in the incident and will miss Collingwood’s Anzac Day blockbuster against Essendon.
“My personal opinion, I think you can talk about it now, I don’t think it was intentional,” Lyon said. “That was clearly deliberated that way, so it’s about right for the outcome.”
Lyon has since had a quiet word to Caminiti, offering the rookie-listed 196cm forward some advice about life in the big league. “In this business you get hunted pretty quickly. I just spoke (to him about) different ways with your frustration, how to pass it on,” Lyon said.
“It doesn’t always have to be a direct opponent as you pass it on to the opposition.”
Caminiti has kicked seven goals in five appearances for St Kilda since being recruited in February through the supplemental selection period. Lyon expects captain Jack Steele to put his hand up to return against Carlton after undergoing surgery on a broken collarbone last month.
“The specialists gave him the extra clearance yesterday, so he’ll train today and Friday and play (on Sunday),” Lyon said.
“He’ll probably go head-to-head with (Patrick) Cripps. I’d expect two great ball-winners to go at it.
“Both of them will have their moments but it’s about our system versus theirs, really.”
Addressing a poor record at the start of matches is high on Fremantle’s to-do list as they continue to try and live up to lofty pre-season expectations.
The Dockers have scraped together two wins in their opening five games, not helped by an 0-5 record in first quarters that has put them repeatedly on the back foot.
Coach Justin Longmuir acknowledged the slow starts are a problem that needs to be addressed, with the Dockers also having been smashed in the first quarter of both the finals they played last season.
In September, they spotted next Friday night’s opponent – the Western Bulldogs – a 41-point lead before coming back to win an elimination final that had many believing the Dockers could push even further into the post-season in 2023.
“We need to fix slow starts, so we’ve tried to trigger (that) internally for a while now,” Longmuir said.
“(But) we were eight or 10 points up with three minutes to go in the first quarter (against Gold Coast last weekend), so we actually started pretty well.
Caleb Serong of the Dockers. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
“The last probably three weeks the scoreboard hasn’t reflected it, so we just need to stick to the process.
“We have a lot of fight in the group and we’ve got a lot of belief we can come from anywhere and make a game of it.”
The Dockers could also do with a lift from star man Andrew Brayshaw, who is taking some time to find his feet in 2023 after a breakout season in which he ran fourth in the Brownlow Medal count.
He managed just 18 touches in last weekend’s 10-point win over Gold Coast, although Longmuir said he was another player struggling to reach the heights many predicted for 2023.
“It’s been the expectation, we’ve probably felt it a little bit as a team,” he said. “Individuals have got their own expectations, not only externally but expectations they put on themselves.
“Most footballers are there because they’re high achievers and they want to be their best every week. When you don’t live up to that it can be a bit of a burden. I’ve seen a really positive, connected version of Andy … we’re starting to see some of his better form.”
Longmuir said last week’s sub Will Brodie was in consideration to join the starting side against the Bulldogs, although he would not confirm the ball-winner would replace Sam Switkowski, who will miss out with a calf injury.
The coach added he might look to young ruck Luke Jackson to help fellow big Sean Darcy battle the Bulldogs’ Tim English.
All-Australian defender Adam Saad has been ruled out for up to a fortnight with a hamstring injury in a blow for Carlton ahead of their AFL clash with St Kilda.
Ruckman Marc Pittonet has been cleared of damage to his eye and will play against the Saints on Sunday, while Mitch McGovern faces a fitness test later in the week.
McGovern was a late withdrawal from the round-five defeat to Adelaide because of a calf issue.
Pittonet was substituted out of that match with a lacerated eye before Saad went down with a hamstring injury.
The Blues on Wednesday said scans had revealed a low-grade strain that will keep Saad out of action for “one to two weeks”.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Saad joins fellow half-backs Sam Docherty (knee), Jordan Boyd (foot) and Zac Williams (knee) on the sidelines.
It opens the door for supplemental selection period signing Alex Cincotta to possibly make his senior debut after he tallied 37 disposals in the VFL last week.
McGovern will aim to train with Carlton’s main group on Friday in a bid to play against St Kilda.
Both sides are looking to bounce back in the Marvel Stadium contest after suffering their first defeats of the season in round five.
The Saints have lost young gun Anthony Caminiti to a three-match suspension for striking Collingwood’s Nathan Murphy but will be able to recall experienced forward Tim Membrey in his place.
Membrey has had a delayed start to the season with a knee injury and is expected to return against the Blues alongside captain Jack Steele, who has missed three games with a broken collarbone. Tough midfielder Steele had surgery last month but trained on Wednesday and is set to do battle with Carlton captain Patrick Cripps.
“The specialists gave him the extra clearance yesterday, so he’ll train today and Friday and play (on Sunday),” St Kilda coach Lyon said.
“He’ll probably go head to head with (Patrick) Cripps. I’d expect two great ball-winners to go at it.”
Membrey was named as an emergency last week and is set to bolster the Saints’ forward-line against Carlton.
“I think it’s more likely than unlikely but I need to give respect to the match committee,” Lyon said.
© AAP
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