Top-10 draft pick Alix Tauru set to debut for St Kilda as Ross Lyon backs youth led-recovery
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is adamant his team is on track to 'pop' in coming seasons and will pursue plans to 'bang games' into young players.
Alix Tauru is set to become the club's seventh debutant for 2025 when he plays against Collingwood on Saturday.
St Kilda's progression under Lyon has been called into question after netting just five wins for the year, but he said 'we can't jump in and be four years down the track' and pointed to the Adelaide Crows' slow build as a 'great model' of what patience could bring.
Tauru, 18 and taken at pick 10 in last year's draft, endured a four-week VFL suspension but looms as an 'exciting' inclusion as Lyon declared the youth project remained his key focus to get the Saints back to the top and he wouldn't be swayed in the search for immediate returns.
'It's pretty exciting. That would put us second for debuts this year with seven (behind Essendon, with 11),' he said on Thursday.
'Over the past two seasons we are top two, all our data, young players, debutants … games into players 22 and under in the last two years we sit comfortably in the top four in the comp. We'll keep pursuing that.
'There's no time warp machine, we can't jump in and be four years down the track. You can't buy experience, you have to bang games into them.
'Our strategic plan, it's evolved, but it's been really clear.
'I'll go back to the data set, it's indisputable, I can comfortably talk about games into players 22 and under. Nas (Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera), when I got here, he'd played one year.
'Over 23, 24 and 25, he's become an elite player in the competition. We're doing a lot right, but it takes time.'
Lyon said the Crows, who have surged into the tour four in 2025, showed what could be achieved, aided by being able to 'lure' players to the club, with St Kilda pursuing Carlton big man Tom De Koning.
'Adelaide is a great model, on metrics of games 22 and under they were second, second, fourth and now they are 16th (in past season),' he said.
'So at some point you get that experience, attract players to your club, and you pop.'
While star St Kilda forward Max King suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, Lyon said Paddy Dow would return through the VFL having missed six months after a series of issues stemming from a staph infection.
'He had that staph infection in his knee, had a blister in his toe, then the staph went through the blister and resulted in numerous arthroscopes and it was a really serious situation,' Lyon said.
'He has carried himself extremely well. I don't think I've met a better young man in football. His resilience, his temperament, his embracing of his teammates … we're thrilled he's coming back. He's a talented midfielder who we have missed.'
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