Nick Dal Santo

Nick Dal Santo
Personal information
Full name	Nick Dal Santo
Date of birth	February 22, 1984 (1984-02-22) (age 27)
Place of birth	Bendigo, Victoria
Original team	Bendigo Pioneers (TAC Cup)
Draft	#13, 2001 National Draft, St Kilda
Height/Weight	185cm / 84kg
Position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	St Kilda
Number	26
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2002–	St Kilda	216 (118)
International team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
2004	Australia	2
1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .
Career highlights
All-Australian Team 2005, 2009, 2011

Nick Dal Santo (born 22 February 1984) is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

AFL career

Early career

Dal Santo was drafted with selection #13 overall by St Kilda in the 2001 AFL Draft and made his debut for them in 2002 against the Geelong Football Club. He managed 18 matches in his first year although he struggled at times in what was a poor season for the club.^[1] In just his second game, Dal Santo had the opportunity to win a game for St Kilda with the last kick of the match, with any score required, but his kick missed the distance.

Dal Santo could not break into an improving St Kilda side in early 2003, but when he did in Round 15 he did not look back, playing every match for the rest of the season and establishing himself as a skillful and creative midfielder.

2004–2007 seasons

Dal Santo played in St Kilda’s 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup winning side – St Kilda's second AFL Cup win.^[2]

Former Essendon Football Club coach Kevin Sheedy, during the 2005 season, likened Dal Santo to triple-Brownlow Medallist Ian Stewart for his exceptional skill and courage.

In that same year, former Hawthorn champion Gary Ayres said this of Dal Santo in an interview: "He's got a high skill level on both sides of his body. He's a good reader of the play, he's got football smarts which are very hard to teach and the thing he does very well is he's got that ability to be composed when he uses the ball. He doesn't seem to get too flustered or rushes it, and that's a pretty special quality to be able to have when you play elite football because a lot of players can get the ball but do they make the right decision?"

Dal Santo came of age as a footballer during the 2004 season, playing every match and kicking 11 goals in a St Kilda side that made a Preliminary Final.^[1] In 2005 he took his game to a new level, racking up over 500 disposals for the year and finishing a close third in the 2005 Brownlow Medal, behind eventual winner Ben Cousins.

Dal Santo was recognised for his excellent season with selection in the 2005 All-Australian Team as a midfield player, his first career All-Australian Team award.

Early in the 2006 season St Kilda lost star midfielder Lenny Hayes to a knee ligament problem and the captain, Luke Ball, was also struggling with injury. In Hayes' absence Dal Santo began to cop a heavy tag from opposition teams each week and this lessened his impact on the game. He still performed strongly for the year, however, and continued to be one of St Kilda's best players.

In 2007, under new coach Ross Lyon, Dal Santo played some match-winning football, notching up 16 Brownlow votes for the year. He also played his 100th consecutive game in Round 20 of 2007, which meant that he had not missed a game since mid-2003. He finished the year with a fourth place finish in the club's Best and Fairest, the Trevor Barker Award.^[3]

2008 season

Dal Santo played in St Kilda’s 2008 NAB Cup winning side, the club's third pre-season cup win.^[4][5]

Dal Santo was dropped in Round 13 of the 2008 season due to lack of form. The temporary demotion spurred Dal Santo on to a good finish to the season – picking up 530 possessions (including 335 kicks), 12 goals and 75 tackles. Although his form was down on that of previous seasons, he picked up Brownlow Medal votes in two games and also played a major part in St Kilda's semifinal victory over Collingwood, with 32 possessions, five tackles and one goal.

2009 season

Dal Santo is a member of St Kilda's leadership group and is contracted to the club until the end of the 2010 season. He was awarded All-Australian selection for the second time in his career in 2009, a recognition of his strong season.

Dal Santo played in 21 of 22 matches in the 2009 AFL Season home and away rounds in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the 2009 AFL Finals Series, winning the club’s third minor premiership.^[6]

Dal Santo was recognised for his excellent season with selection in the 2009 All-Australian Team as an interchange player, his second career All-Australian Team award.

St Kilda qualified for the 2009 AFL Grand Final after qualifying and preliminary finals wins. Dal Santo played in the grand final in which St Kilda were defeated by 12 points.

2009 statistics

Dal Santo at training prior to the 2009 AFL Grand Final

• Round 1: (vs Sydney): 27 disposals, 3 marks, 2 goals
• Round 2: (vs Adelaide): 35 disposals, 6 marks, 0 goals
• Round 3: (vs West Coast): 31 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal
• Round 4: (vs Fremantle): 31 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals
• Round 5: (vs Port Adelaide): 19 disposals, 3 marks, 0 goals
• Round 6: (vs Western Bulldogs): 22 disposals, 1 mark, 1 goal
• Round 7: (vs Collingwood): 38 disposals, 5 marks, 0 goals
• Round 8: (vs Essendon): 23 disposals, 2 marks, 0 goals
• Round 9: (vs Brisbane Lions): 19 disposals, 1 marks, 0 goals
• Round 10: (vs Melbourne): 31 disposals, 5 marks, 0 goals
• Round 11: (vs North Melbourne): 26 disposals, 3 marks, 1 goal
• Round 12: (vs Carlton): 34 disposals, 2 marks, 1 goal
• Round 13: (vs Richmond): 26 disposals, 3 marks, 1 goal
• Round 14: (vs Geelong): 26 disposals, 0 marks, 0 goals
• Round 15: (vs West Coast Eagles): 28 disposals, 4 marks, 3 goals
• Round 16: (vs Adelaide): 30 disposals, 4 marks, 0 goals
• Round 17: (vs Western Bulldogs): 39 disposals, 8 marks, 0 goals
• Round 18: (vs Sydney): 28 disposals, 1 mark, 1 goal
• Round 19: (vs Hawthorn): did not play
• Round 20: (vs Essendon): 1 goal
• Round 21: (vs North Melbourne): 9 disposals
• Round 22: (vs Melbourne):

2010 season

Dal Santo played 25 games in 2010, including four final matches, and averaged 25.6 possessions.

As of the end of the 2010 season, Dal Santo had played in 16 finals matches including three grand finals.

2011 season

In the 2011 season Dal Santo came second for the Brownlow medal with a poll of 28 votes, after averaging 26.5 disposals per round during the premiership season.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "AFL Tables:Nick Dal Santo". AFL Tables: AFL-VFL match and player stats, records and lists. http://www.stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/N/Nick_Dal_Santo.html. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
2. ^ "AFL 2004 Wizard Cup Grand Final – Geelong v St Kilda". Slattery Media Group. 2004-03-13. http://images.slatterymedia.com/image/?image_id=114726. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
3. ^ Holmesby, Russell (2007-10-05). "Club champion Riewoldt challenges Saints". St Kilda FC Official Site. saints.com.au. http://www.saints.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/5315/Default.aspx?newsId=52207. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
4. ^ "St Kilda wins NAB cup". The Age. March 8, 2008. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/st-kilda-wins-nab-cup-by-five-points/2008/03/08/1204780132457.html?s_cid=rss_news. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
5. ^ "Saints are NAB Cup Champions in 2008". Jeld-Wen. 8 March 2008. http://www.jeld-wen.com.au/pr/St-Kilda-2008/20080308.php. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
6. ^ "2009 Season Scores and Results – Ladder". AFL Tables. 2009. http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/2009.html#lad. Retrieved 2009-11-08. 

External links

• Nick Dal Santo's profile on the Official AFL Website of the St Kilda Football Club
• Nick Dal Santo's statistics from AFL Tables

Persondata
Name	Dal Santo, Nick
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1984-02-22
Place of birth	Bendigo, Victoria
Date of death
Place of death