SEEING Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera go down with a hamstring injury was like "an arrow through the heart" for St Kilda coach Ross Lyon.
Just eight minutes into Sunday's must-win clash with Carlton, the star Saint limped from the field after stopping short and grabbing at his left hamstring. He was immediately ruled out of the game, and it now makes the side's narrow chances of reaching a wildcard spot even tougher.
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"I've had lots of stuff happen. Obviously, when it's 'Nas', it's sort of an arrow through the heart in a sense," Lyon said following the 44-point loss.
"I'm not sure what worst case (scenario) is, but I would think, what I saw, and I don't know much about hamstrings, (it's) minimum three weeks. He's not going to play in the home and away season. So, again, like Jack Silvagni, we're not taking a risk that isn't calculated and approved by a surgeon … It's a risk, and personal agency. I think it's a really good thing, and they make an informed decision, and that's what's happened."
The Saints also lost winger Mason Wood to a left calf injury during the game, and had a rotating medical ward as Liam Ryan (left shoulder), Tom De Koning (right shoulder), and Cal Wilkie (cork) all required attention throughout the match.
"Look, it's not ideal really losing your best player, really. But in saying that, in this business, you've got to overcome it and not let it derail you," Lyon said.
"Regardless of that, I just think, 'How did the game look?' I thought their contest, pressure, really, they looked like the stronger team, pressure. Really simply, method coming in, we know how they're using the ball and controlling the ball."
For interim Carlton coach Josh Fraser, there was a determination to look broadly at the club's achievements, rather than focus on himself amidst the race to name the next head coach.
"My preference tonight is not to make it about me, if possible. And the reason I say that is that it's a terrific night for our footy club. Our AFLW girls got a win tonight, and you see the work that they put in consistently. And on field it was another step forward for our playing group," Fraser said.
"I do appreciate the questions around me, but right now I feel a lot of gratitude for the people that surround me."
The Carlton fans reprised a "We want Fraser" chant around the ground, the coach admitted he wasn't comfortable with it, again acknowledging the broader impact of the club's staff and players.
"(It's) not about daring to dream, I think the thing that's taking us forward is we are just attaching ourselves to the work that we need to do," Fraser said.
"It's the consistency we're trying to build, and it's been about managing momentum when we don't have it, and managing momentum when we do. But also, the connection piece on the field, I think, has been really important to us, and part of that's getting your job done, but part of that's helping someone else to get their job done, and I think that's another space where we're growing."
Jacob Weitering, who hasn't played since round 12 due to a calf injury but got through a return to the VFL earlier in the day, "will come into consideration" for next week's fixture against the Western Bulldogs, and the Blues made it through the match unscathed.