The St Kilda Football Club have established a defensive identity under coach Ross Lyon, and they will need to embrace that this off-season as they look to shield off rival interest for a number of their key players.
It’s been well-reported that both South Australian clubs have aggressively pursued free agent Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, but it’s another out-of-contract Saint that is said to be catching the eye of rival clubs, with a number of Victorian teams now monitoring the status of Marcus Windhager.
According to AFL.com.au’s Riley Beveridge, Melbourne, Essendon and North Melbourne are the three Victorian teams that are in the hunt for the 22-year-old, who is currently without a contract for 2025 despite a career-best year.
“There’s a three-club chase for Marcus Windhager at the moment. Melbourne, Essendon and North Melbourne [are] all the clubs chasing his signature,” Beveridge said on Gettable.
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“He’s one of the more under the radar uncontracted players heading into this year’s trade period, because clubs are chasing him, and they’re chasing him hard.
“They really have a belief that he’s gettable.”
Beveridge did warn though that there is every chance Windhager decides to stay at Moorabbin for 2026 and beyond.
“The one thing that might go against them though is he is loyal to the core. I think if St Kilda bumped up that offer… there’s a chance he does re-sign,” he said.
Windhager is in his fourth year at the club, and has played in all 21 of the Saints’ games so far this season.
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In Saturday’s win over Richmond, he put forward one of the finest displays of his young career to date, finishing with 32 disposals and six tackles.
But despite emerging as a natural ball winner this year, Windhager has often been deployed as a tagger throughout the early stages of his career under Ross Lyon, which has been rumoured to be some motive for him potentially exploring other options.
Windhager is not the only Saint to recently have been linked to a move away from RSEA Park, with captain Jack Steele, and stars Rowan Marshall and Callum Wilkie also reportedly feeling disgruntled at the club.
Albeit, Lyon has strongly denied there being any sense of disillusionment within the playing group.