Goal after siren hands GWS win over Saints

Coach Alan McConnell has blamed himself for a tactical blunder that almost cost GWS against St Kilda before Katherine Smith's after-the-siren goal delivered a heart-stopping two-point win.

The Saints came excruciatingly close to their first victory of the AFLW season at Blacktown Oval on Wednesday night when Tarni White booted them ahead with three minutes remaining.

But a free kick and 50m penalty allowed the Giants to march downfield in the dying seconds before Smith cooly nailed the opportunity to secure a 6.5 (41) to 5.9 (39) result.

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Several times GWS looked poised to pull clear, including when Cora Staunton drilled her third major to begin the final term, but the spirited Saints kept lifting in a tit-for-tat affair.

Considering both teams were coming off performances in which they failed to kick a goal and posted their lowest-ever scores, it was a much-improved effort all around.

"We dominated contest and clearance in the third quarter but their player behind the ball was hurting us a little bit, so we changed up a bit structurally - coach's error," McConnell said.

"I fuelled a little bit what was going on with their win around the ball, so that's probably on me.

"They got a head of steam and we looked like we weren't going to be able to stop it.

"Our ability to execute fluctuates a bit too much, but in the end we executed under extreme pressure."

McConnell and St Kilda coach Nick Dal Santo said they hadn't closely reviewed the 50m penalty call.

"I saw one of our players go down off the ball, but I can't tell you," McConnell said.

Dal Santo commented: "I saw two players go down and clearly it went one particular way".

The disappointed yet proud Saints mentor made