'Filthy' St Kilda coach Ross Lyon slams 'broken' VFL system that has cost youngster six weeks
A "filthy" Ross Lyon has slammed the VFL and their suspension systems, after first-round pick Alix Tauru received a four-game rough conduct ban, but will ultimately serve a six-week sanction.
This is because the suspension follows Sandrigham's VFL fixture and not St Kilda's AFL fixture and the Zebras have byes in rounds six and 11, due to the 22-team nature of the competition.
Because of this, Tauru will not be available to play at AFL level until mid June and will miss six AFL matches.
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St Kilda coach Ross Lyon Twitter
Tauru was knocking on the door of an AFL debut before the bump on Brisbane VFL player Curtis McCarthy.
Lyon lamented the nature of the system, wondering why the suspension needed to be so heavy-handed.
"Is it four or is it six weeks? We're incredibly disappointed, I am really frustrated, it's a broken system," Lyon told reporters on Wednesday.
"We've already had one bye, we're having another bye this week, I just don't understand the human side.
"The blow-up on me making a sub, we've got a first-year, top-10 draft pick that if you think the penalty is four weeks, that's OK, but they know we've got a bye and then at the end of that there's another bye.
"How the tribunal doesn't take into consideration that it's six weeks; Noah Balta got four weeks handed down for an assault off the field, with respect.
"We've got a kid that concussed a player, it's a six-week penalty, there's no consideration – as Paul Roos would say 'common sense is commonly uncommon'."
Alix Tauru's rough conduct that resulted in a four-game ban Twitter
St Kilda has reportedly discussed separating from Sandringham and establishing their own VFL side, though Lyon wonders why they persist with the "feeder competition" at all.
"I am filthy and no wonder AFL clubs talk 'let's have a breakaway group from a 22-team competition with four or five clubs and play each other'," he said.
"It's not worth the risk and there's no recompense, consideration or adjustment for the reality of a misaligned fixture of a feeder competition to the AFL – I am absolutely filthy.
"What I would like is for common sense to prevail here for a young player. We talk about mental health, we're talking about mental health of a kid getting feedback about opponent awareness."
