St Kilda gave departing AFLW coach Nick Dal Santo the perfect send-off with a drought-breaking two-point home win over Collingwood.
With the bottom-of-the-table Saints holding a 0-8 record, Dal Santo announced on Friday he was standing down and took charge of the team for the final time in Saturday’s game at Moorabbin Oval.Â
After scoring just one point last week and tallying five behinds in the first half on Saturday, the Saints kicked five second-half goals on their way to a 5.9 (39 ) to 5.7 (37) win.
Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw kicked two goals and Tyanna Smith bagged 25 touches and 12 clearances for the Saints, who ended an 11-match losing streak stretching back almost a full year.
Collingwood (1-8) kicked the only two goals of the first half, the first to captain Ruby Schleicher, who later came off the ground with an injury to her right shoulder.
The other major went to Sabrina Frederick in her 100th AFLW game, as Collingwood stretched a two-point lead after a goalless first quarter to 12 at half-time.
The victory was St Kilda’s first of the AFLW season. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
With the wind at their backs, the Saints rallied In the third quarter, kicking three straight goals and four for the term to lead by 10 points at the last change.
Ashley Centra, who gathered 25 touches for the Pies, kicked a goal in the final 30 seconds to cut the gap to two points, but the Saints held on.
“I understand this is my last game, but that was a really good game by the girls. I thought we fought really hard,” Dal Santo told Fox and Kayo.
“I’m really proud of this group. It’s been a delight and I’m really grateful for being a part of their journeys.
“I’ve loved it. Five years and the time is right,” added Dal Santo, who finished with a 23-39 win-loss record.
AAP
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