ST KILDA coach Scott Watters appears on a collision course with the AFL after claiming the Saints deserved all four points from Saturday night's cancelled NAB Cup game against Essendon.

The game was cancelled after two flights carrying Essendon's players and coaches were unable to land in Wangaratta due to heavy rain and conditions in the area, leading the AFL to announce the four points would be shared.

Watters claimed the Bombers' no-show meant they forfeited the match.

St Kilda star Nick Dal Santo also lashed the decision, taking to Twitter to voice his frustration.

"Surely a team not turning up don't get half the points," Dal Santo tweeted.

"Maybe we should save ourself (sic) a flight to Perth next week and split those points too."

The calls led to the AFL releasing a statement to say they may toss a coin to find the winner.

"If a Pre-Season Competition Match is unable to commence for reasons beyond the control of the Club, the General Manager - Football Operations shall endeavour to reschedule the Match so that a result can be obtained," the statement said.

"If the Match cannot be rescheduled, the winner will be decided by the toss of a coin."
 
Further down, the statement said each club will be given an opportunity to state their case.

"Each club will be given the opportunity to provide its view to the AFL on whether the match was unable to commence for reasons beyond Essendon’s control. A final determination will then be made by the AFL."

An earlier statement form the AFL read: "As the club was unable to reach the venue, the match will be declared a draw with two points awarded to each team under NAB Cup rules."

But this was based on rules surrounding the premiership season. Separate rules govern the pre-season competition.

But Watters remained unconvinced.

"My understanding is the AFL will make a decision on Monday so we'll wait and see what comes out of that," Watters said.

"We came here wanting the four points and we'll see what happens.

"The last time I was at a forfeit was in under-12s and the side that didn't turn up didn’t get the points. The AFL will make the decision and we'll stand by that."

If the Saints only receive the two points it means their shot at a NAB Cup premiership would be over.

"That'd be disappointing," Watters said.

"We want to expose our inexperienced players to the highest level of pressure we can. And we'd like the opportunity to compete for that.

"There's a lot of young players who played out there tonight who would benefit from high-level NAB Cup experience so if we don't get that opportunity it'd be disappointing."

The Saints went on to play a one-hour inter-club match after the game was officially called off at 6pm AEDT in front of an appreciative crowd, having driven to the rural Victorian city on Friday.

With big puddles scattered around the field, coaches on the ground giving advice during the game and a lowered level of intensity, it was largely a training run, but Watters said he was relieved to get through with only "a couple of bumps and bruises."

While Watters was loathe to comment on Essendon's decision to fly to Wangaratta, Victorian Minister for Sport and Recreation Hugh Delahunty said there was "enormous disappointment" that the Bombers unable to play.

"This is disappointing because the Wangaratta rural city has gone to an enormous effort for this, so for them not to be here is disappointing," said Delahunty, who played 46 games for Essendon in the 1970s.

"But that's life. It doesn’t take away from St Kilda, they're the guys who have put on the show.

"They've done not only their club proud but football proud by putting in the effort they did."

Follow Callum Twomey on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey
Follow Andrew Lowther on Twitter at @AFL_Drew