Jump to content

Nick Dal Santo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 203.37.186.94 (talk) at 05:21, 7 January 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Nick Dal Santo
Personal information
Original team(s) Bendigo Pioneers
Debut Round 4, 21 April 2002, St Kilda Football Club vs. Geelong, at Kardinia Park, Geelong
Height / weight 185cm / 83kg
Playing career1

St Kilda Football Club 2002–present;

193 games, 104 goals
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2009.
Career highlights
  • St Kilda minor premiership side 2009
  • St Kilda NAB Cup winning side 2008
  • St Kilda Wizard Cup winning side 2004
  • All-Australian Team 2005
  • All-Australian Team 2009
  • International Rules Series 2004
  • 3rd position in the Brownlow Medal 2005
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

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.

Nude photo

In December 2010, a nude photograph of Dal Santo emerged. The photo finds Dal Santo in a compromising position and has been described as 'graphic'. A teen girl claimed responsibility for leaking the photograph, and another photograph featuring Nick Riewoldt as an act of revenge against the St Kilda Football Club for how the club treated her after informing falling pregnant to one of the team's players. Unlike Riewoldt, Dal Santo has not offered an explanation for when or in what circumstances the picture was taken.

References

  1. ^ a b "AFL Tables:Nick Dal Santo". AFL Tables: AFL-VFL match and player stats, records and lists. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  2. ^ "AFL 2004 Wizard Cup Grand Final – Geelong v St Kilda". Slattery Media Group. 2004-03-13. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  3. ^ Holmesby, Russell (2007-10-05). "Club champion Riewoldt challenges Saints". St Kilda FC Official Site. saints.com.au. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  4. ^ "St Kilda wins NAB cup". The Age. March 8, 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  5. ^ "Saints are NAB Cup Champions in 2008". Jeld-Wen. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  6. ^ "2009 Season Scores and Results – Ladder". AFL Tables. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Kilda Football Club.

Template:2004 Wizard Cup Players Template:2008 NAB Cup Players

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Nick_Dal_Santo&oldid=406432949"