Ross Lyon speaks to his players during St Kilda's win over Essendon in a pre-season practice match on March 3, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

AUDIO from St Kilda's coaching box during last week's practice match was accidentally shared with rival teams, with the club saying "human error" was to blame.

The unmuted file, recorded during the Saints' pre-season hitout against Essendon, was uploaded to a league-wide shared folder on Saturday morning, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

The file was online for hours before the club was made aware, with the Saints then taking down the file and replacing it with a muted version.

The Saints are unsure if the file was accessed by anyone, but the playing group was notified about the error.

Peter Wright flies for a mark during Essendon's practice match against St Kilda on March 3, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

"This upload occurred through human error, which was corrected as soon as we were notified," the Saints' acting footy boss David Misson said.

"There is no certainty that this file has been accessed and downloaded by anybody, however, regardless of the low risk, we wanted to be on the front foot and proactive in our response.

"Our focus is on creating a program with high integrity, open communication and care for our people.

"As a matter of course, we addressed this issue directly with our playing group.

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"As part of our response, we also alerted the AFL and relevant key stakeholders.

"We feel that this matter has now been resolved and our focus remains on our preparations for the season ahead.

"The club has also taken the opportunity to review its broader processes to reduce the likelihood of this error occurring again."