The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-10-09 · by Kelli Underwood
If St Kilda think a new coach will solve their problems, they need to think again.
asserted
they → think → problems
Women’s coach Nick Dal Santo will have a farewell game at Moorabbin on Saturday, having not been offered another contract for next season.
asserted
Santo → have → season
The club announced on Friday that Dal Santo would stand down, with an interim coach to lead the team for the final three games.
asserted
Santo → announce → games
Perhaps the 18th-placed Saints are hoping his exit will spur the winless team on to victory against the Pies, in the bottom-of-the-ladder clash at RSEA Park.
asserted
exit → place → Park
The decision to part ways comes as no surprise, given they were just 40 seconds away from becoming the first AFLW team to endure a scoreless game last weekend.
asserted
they → part → game
The team has gone backwards this year.
asserted
team → go → ?
You could argue only one player has improved, midfielder Tyanna Smith.
uncertain
player → argue → ?
Other than that, it’s a mess.
asserted
it → ’ → that
Dal Santo was hired as a part-time coach, but has worked full-time hours.
asserted
Santo → hire → coach
List manager Darius Wyatt comes from a cricket background in South Australia and, like Dal Santo, had no previous experience of women’s footy.
asserted
Wyatt → come → footy
President Andrew Bassat said in a letter to members: “We are committed to giving our AFLW program every chance to succeed and to building something our members can be proud of.”
asserted
members → say → something
However, sources close to the club, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say female players at St Kilda feel like second-class citizens.
asserted
players → speak → citizens
Some say that when they walk through the doors, they feel like they’re entering a space that’s not theirs.
asserted
that → say → space
As one person said to me, “It feels like you’re tiptoeing around the men’s workspace.”
asserted
you → say → workspace
Some female players feel there are unspoken rules.
asserted
players → feel → ?
Put back everything where you found it.
asserted
you → put → it
Be out of meeting rooms on the dot (while the men frequently go over time, leaving the women waiting for the use of a room or facility).
asserted
men → go → room
In the pre-season, some players were told they’d benefit from extra tackling sessions.
asserted
they → tell → sessions
But they’d have to pay for them out of their own pocket.
asserted
they → have → pocket
At $50 a session, some players were left several hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
asserted
players → leave → pocket
One source said the club chef cooks for the men’s team whenever they’re in the building, and only once a week for the women’s team – and only when the men’s team is also there.
asserted
team → say → team
Mind you, when a Gold Coast player was recently asked what’s the best thing Erin Phillips has brought to the Suns, she replied: “We can now access the chocolate milk in the fridge.
asserted
We → mind → fridge
Former Carlton footy boss Brad Lloyd has been called upon to run an independent review of the AFLW program.
asserted
Lloyd → call → program
He’s done this previously at Carlton and Richmond.
asserted
He → do → Carlton
No matter what Lloyd finds, will the players have any confidence of a full cultural overhaul?
asserted
players → find → overhaul
How do you instil the feeling of belonging that seems to be missing?
asserted
that → instil → belonging
St Kilda seems a long way behind the clubs that have built a “one club” culture.
asserted
that → seem → culture
This week Channel Seven football journalist Tom Morris questioned the media coverage St Kilda’s woeful performance, calling for more former AFLW players in the media who could have bigger opinions.
uncertain
who → question → opinions
Morris claims there are too many current AFLW players in the media, who can’t say what they really think about their own teams or their opponents.
uncertain
they → claim → teams
I think there are reasons why.
asserted
I → think → ?
Firstly, AFLW is only a decade old, so there’s only a small pool of former players.
asserted
AFLW → ’ → players
Many choose to return to full-time work or parenthood, rather than accepting relatively modest fees to commentate.
asserted
Many → choose → fees
Fox Footy has made a deliberate decision to mentor a handful of current players, to help them become opinion-based ex-players in coming years.
asserted
them → make → years
Some patience is needed.
asserted
patience → need → ?
Plus, we don’t expect the current players to offer opinions on other clubs.
asserted
players → expect → clubs
The men’s players hardly ever do it - just watch AFL360 players’ night.
asserted
players → do → night
They’re careful with what they say.
asserted
they → ’re → what
Especially when many fans still think women don’t understand the game, let alone have the capability to comment on it.
asserted
women → think → it
Go to the comments on social media when a woman has posted an opinion, and look at the trolling, the abuse, the death threats, the appearance-shaming and the hate.
asserted
woman → go → trolling
Then tell me if you’d like to be a woman with an opinion in sport.
asserted
you → tell → sport
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
