Dal Santo shows faith in Saints youth

Nick Dal Santo

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Nick Dal Santo has shown his confidence in some of the new young guns at the Saints, by supporting their recent performances to help the Club get through to the Semi-Final of the NAB Cup against Fremantle this Saturday night at Etihad Stadium.

Speaking ahead of an open training session at Linen House Oval, Dal Santo said he was looking forward to a tough match on the weekend, which could star a number of new players who are already making their impression on Saints fans.

Of Rhys Stanley, who scored in last Saturday’s win against Collingwood, Dal Santo said “He’s a terrific athlete. What you’ve seen of him in the first couple of games is exactly how he likes to play his football and the way he trains.”

Along with Stanley, another young player who has impressed the crowds is David Armitage, who has been with the Club for a couple of years and is now getting the chance to show his skills on the field. “(Armitage) had a really good game last weekend. He’s been around the system for a few years, but I think his first couple of games (this season) have really impressed the group.”

But it’s not only the Saints who have some new talent on display during the NAB Cup, with a young Fremantle team making a big impression on the pre-season competition so far.

When asked about the weekend’s opposition, Dal Santo said “Fremantle played very well last week. They’re definitely a young team but they’re improving. The way they performed after traveling last week is big step for them and we’ve got a big challenge again.”

“(Hayden) Ballantyne looked really good at half forward and reminded me a little bit of our Jack Steven. They’ve obviously got a lot of young guys playing some good footy and competing really hard so we’re going to have to be on our game.”

“We’ve had a really good pre-season and we’re looking forward to having another good year. The support we’ve got from our members and sponsors has been fantastic and will help us move forward this year.”

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