Hard work the remedy for Dal Santo

NICK Dal Santo is a supremely gifted footballer, of that there is no doubt.

But he's also an extremely honest one, both with his work ethic and his assessment of his own game.

Despite being quick off the mark and an excellent kick on either side, he is aware of and working on his weaknesses, such as his defensive game.

Over the last 12 months he has also been concentrating on goalkicking and shaking a tagger, and says he's now eager to chase and tackle, something he told saints.com.au hasn’t always been the case.

"It’s still something I’m working on and the coaching staff is helping me with. I’ve been more of a naturally offensive and attacking player but I don’t think you can get by on having just the one side of your game in this day and age in football," he said.

"I’m nowhere near where I’d like to be but it’s better than I have been in previous years."

Heading into the season, the Saints were – once again – highly rated, and have caught some criticism for their performances so far, something Dal Santo isn't shying away from, despite not liking it much.

"When you’re in the situation it is difficult to deal with because you’re not used to it and it is personal. In general the media are a little bit too intense on individuals," Dal Santo said.

"We have had our fair share this year because we haven’t lived up to expectations .... personally I probably deserved it at the time. I wasn’t playing the football I would have liked to and wasn’t contributing."