St Kilda coach Ross Lyon blows up over four-week VFL ban for draftee Alix Tauru, labelling the system broken

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has launched a passionate defence of suspended draftee Alix Taura, saying he’s “filthy” with what he calls “a broken system”. Tauru was given a four-week ban at the VFL tribunal for rough conduct and which was then upheld after the Saints appealed. But with byes at the start and at the end of Tauru’s four-week sanction, the teenager is ineligible to play football for as long as six weeks. In a fiery response, similar to his outburst during last weekend’s loss to Brisbane, Lyon questioned the tribunal’s decision and how Tauru received the same penalty as charged Richmond defender Noah Balta. “Is it four or is it six weeks? We’re incredibly disappointed, I am really frustrated, it talks to a broken system,” Lyon said. “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 stand 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’.” Lyon said it was little wonder AFL clubs wanted to deviate from the VFL. “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. “The kid has been suspended for four and he’ll miss six. How do you reckon his mental health is going at the minute? And mine.” Tauru’s sanction was not the only well-documented case of Tuesday night, with North Melbourne’s Paul Curtis handed three weeks for his rundown tackle on Port Adelaide’s Josh Sinn. Lyon said there was an argument for concussion legal battles “taking away from the essence of the game”. “What am I allowed to say and what am I not allowed to say? Like, it’s wowee,” he said. “I think what’s not taken into consideration is the professionalism of AFL players. They’re now getting tackled and taking themselves forward willingly and easily knowing they’re going to draw a free kick, probably. “Did that happen in that case? I don’t know, but common sense is commonly uncommon. “I think we all look at that and understand the outcome, but was that intent? Could he take his arm away? It’s starting to get ‘is the consideration for future legal threat and bite back taking away from the essence of the game?’ I think you could argue it is.”