Nick Dal Santo
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 22 February 1984, Bendigo, Victoria |
| Recruited from | Bendigo U18's |
| Height/Weight | 185cm / 83kg |
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | 2002, St Kilda vs. Geelong, at Skilled Stadium |
| Team(s) | St Kilda (2002-)
75 games, 40 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
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Nick Dal Santo (born February 22, 1984) is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL with the St Kilda Football Club.
[edit] Early career
Debuting in 2002 against Geelong, he has since become well known in the league, playing as a midfielder. Master Coach of Essendon Kevin Sheedy has likened him to Ian Stewart because of his exceptional skill and courage on the field. Nick was drafted pick number 13 behind the likes of Luke Hodge, Chris Judd and teammate Luke Ball.
[edit] 2005
2005 was by far his best season and it was only his 3rd season in the AFL.
In early 2005 he was criticised for not kicking as many goals as he should. After round 14 to the end of the season he went from 1 goal 10 behinds to 14 goals 14 behinds including a 5 goal haul during the Saints' 88-point demolition of Melbourne. For that effort he was rewarded with 3 votes in the Brownlow Medal count.
In the middle of the year he turned down an offer from Collingwood and Essendon, to stay with Saints. His contractual disputes were overshadowed by the much less consistent Carlton forward Brendan Fevola.
During the 2005 Brownlow Medal count he was a surprise packet, finishing 3rd overall with 18 votes, only 2 votes from the winner Ben Cousins. Also that year, he was given a spot on the wing in the 2005 All-Australian side.
