After a historically bad Saints performance, it’s time for Dal Santo to go

If St Kilda want to have a successful AFLW program, they need to make several bold decisions. The first one should be parting with long-time senior coach Nick Dal Santo, whose position, after a winless season so far, is now untenable.

That was never more clear than on Saturday, when the Saints made history for all the wrong reasons.

During their clash against the Bulldogs in Ballarat, St Kilda booted just one point – the club’s lowest ever score and the equal-lowest in AFLW history. It was the lowest score kicked by any side since round 10, 2022.

The Saints’ singular behind, from Ashleigh Richards, came with 41 seconds to go in the final quarter; the 30-point margin could have been far greater, given the Bulldogs’ inaccuracy (3.13).

It was the Saints’ eighth consecutive loss in a winless season.

The alarm bells are sounding for Dal Santo, whose contract finishes at the end of 2026.

He spoke after the loss, where he was defensive about his team’s performance, citing poor conditions, an extensive injury list and inexperience, though he admitted the team “did not use the ball very well”.

“I think we are all frustrated, that’s not how we planned on today going,” he said.

“I thought we looked a little bit tired today, but maybe rightly so when we had two days less and had to travel twice.”

Dal Santo is fair to highlight St Kilda’s injury list, and development of young players.

The club has 11 on its injury list, and also debuted five new players within the first five games.

The Saints also parted with several players last year, including veteran defender Nicola Stevens, who went to Geelong. There’s also been a change of leadership, with Hannah Priest, who is pregnant, stepping down from the captaincy after six years at the helm.

However, the Saints had an extensive injury list in 2025 and were still able to execute some remarkable performances, including an epic last-quarter comeback against Port Adelaide, overcoming the biggest three-quarter-time margin in AFLW history.

The Saints also fought their way into the top eight to secure their maiden finals appearance – a long-awaited milestone since the club entered the competition in 2020.

There have been no comparable moments of brilliance from St Kilda this year. They have gone backwards.

Yes, they had a tough opening draw, facing last year’s preliminary finalists Carlton followed by Geelong and then Sydney. Their painful 92-point loss to reigning premiers North Melbourne stung, but was not unexpected.

While disappointed with the start of the season, St Kilda players and staff were confident that their next opponents, lower-ranked Richmond and West Coast, were gettable.

They were not.

St Kilda aren’t alone in having disappointing seasons. Both Essendon and Collingwood opened the season with a string of losses, though the Magpies finally won their first game last week and the Bombers followed with a victory this week.

What’s troubling about St Kilda isn’t just the eight consecutive losses – it’s the way the team is losing.

This season, they have consistently failed to hit the scoreboard. They look sluggish and uncertain, struggling in contested situations and handing the ball back to their opponents under pressure.

During the press conference after this week’s loss, Dal Santo rightfully highlighted that it wasn’t fair to “isolate one game” but rather look at a greater body of work.

But a professional AFLW team only scoring one point in a game is concerning.

There appears to be a reluctance from certain parts of the AFLW community to speak critically about women’s sports. Many people contacted for the piece declined to comment or did not respond, while others expressed apprehension about speaking negatively about the women’s program.

In fairness, AFLW coaches have less time with players, shorter seasons and less resources. AFLW is not AFL – the women’s competition has different strengths and appeals and should be treated differently. 

However, if St Kilda’s men’s team were performing like this, the scrutiny would be intense.

If AFLW is to continue to grow and be taken seriously, we must analyse it thoroughly and critically.

St Kilda players are strongly supportive of Dal Santo, but the time has come to make changes. Aside from moving on Dal Santo, their next coach should be hired in a full-time role.

Carlton initiated a comprehensive independent review into their AFLW program after a period of poor performance, leading to the departure of coaches and key staff.

Since then, the Blues have surged, playing in the finals last year (and will likely do the same this year).

St Kilda could learn from that.

Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.