In 2012 the Saints appointed a new coach in Scott Watters, and had a competitive season that finished in an underwhelming 9th position, not getting to play in the Finals Series for the first time since 2007. At the end of the 2013 season Dal Santo qualified to become a Free Agent under recently introduced player trade rules allowing Free Agency again for the first time since the 1970's. At the end of the season, Dal Santo was regularly questioned about his playing future, consistently stating he wanted to do what was best for St Kilda Football Club. Dal Santo left St Kilda FC under a restricted Free Agency deal. As of the end of his career at St Kilda FC in 2013, Dal Santo had played in 17 finals matches with the Saints, including consecutive AFL Premiership Grand Finals in 2009 & 2010, and five AFL Preliminary Finals. North Melbourne In October 2013, Dal Santo left the Saints for North Melbourne as a restricted free agent after St Kilda declined to match North's three year deal, in a decision he described as "what was best for St Kilda Football Club". Dal Santo had an immediate effect in his first year at North Melbourne, playing every game of the season, including three finals matches. During the semi final against Geelong, he collected 35 disposals and gained 603 metres. He was named as the 'recruit of the year' by AFL Media. In August 2016, North Melbourne announced they would not renew his contract for the 2017 season. After expressing interest in joining another club, he subsequently retired in November. Coaching career After being employed by St Kilda FC as a part-time development coach working with St Kilda's Next Generation Junior Academy, including working with current AFL listed players like Mitchito Owens and Marcus Windhager, Dal Santo was appointed coach of the FC's women's team in the AFLW competition before the start of the 2022 Premiership season. The AFL then decided to shift the AFLW season from a summer start to a late winter start, and as a consequence a second AFLW Premiership Season was scheduled for 2022, beginning in late August. Personal life Dal Santo's younger cousin is Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli. Statistics |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2002 |style="text-align:center;"| | 26 || 18 || 7 || 7 || 114 || 77 || 191 || 48 || 33