Former Saint and Kangaroo Nick Dal Santo has launched a scathing attack at the collective level of skill execution across the AFL in the season's early stages.
The league-wide disposal efficiency figure sits at 72.4 per cent after round four, slightly above last year's mark of 72 per cent, but well below the figures recorded in the preceding three years.
Known as a classy ball-user throughout his glittering 322-game AFL career, Dal Santo said the number of skill errors is a blight on the game.
"I’m getting a little bit disappointed with the standard of football, I must admit," Dal Santo told SEN Afternoons.
"I just can’t get my head around the skill level of this elite competition – it’s ruining the product in my opinion.
"That’s how severe the skill level or lack of is becoming almost across the board."
Dal Santo spared no expense in his analysis, pointing out that skill execution is an issue for all clubs.
"It’s not just the poor teams anymore, it’s some of the best teams, it’s some of our elite players that are struggling to execute the fundamentals of our game," he said.
The Eagles and Bulldogs currently pace the AFL in disposal efficiency at a mark of 75.7 per cent each.
