The Saints have officially parted ways with Brett Ratten just months after re-signing him on a two-year contract extension, with the search for a new senior coach to begin.
Speaking to media on Friday, Saints president Andrew Bassat admitted that while the decision to sack Ratten was harsh, it was the one required to set the club up for future success.
“I'm going to be frank given there's a bunch of things we need to get better at (as a club). We can't say Brett was absolutely set up for success. That makes this decision even harsher," Bassat said.
“But we still felt that even with a better setup around him, we felt there were coaches with potentially different characteristics that gave us a far better chance at being successful.
“We've acknowledged we've done something wrong. We'd far prefer to get it right and take criticism, rather than plowing ahead because we don't want to look silly.”
CEO Simon Lethlean remained tight-lipped when asked of the club's next coach, stating that they hadn't begun to process of speaking to candidates, but would act quickly, with the next coach to be appointed in the coming weeks.
“It's not fair to say we know our man. We know the characteristics we're after,” Lethlean said.
“(The review) took as long as it needed to take to find out what we needed and give those involved the opportunity to respond, to listen to the findings, to give their view on how they could improve themselves and the program.
“Is the timing ideal? Maybe not but we weren't going to rush it to fit timings of other parts of the industry.”
Ross Lyon, who departed the club in 2011 after a five year stint as senior coach, has been speculated as the next to step into the top job.
The 55-year-old hasn't coached at senior level since departing Fremantle in 2019, spending his time working in real estate and media, but now may make a coaching comeback to his former club.
Per reports from the Herald Sun, Lyon was open to accepting a call from the Saints during their coaching search, this coming after he previously turned down taking part in the Essendon process.
With Essendon, GWS and North Melbourne all recently conducting their own searches for a senior coach, the field of candidates has narrowed significantly heading into the off-season.
Lyon presents as the candidate with the most senior coaching experience, while former Saints-turned-assistant coaches Lenny Hayes and Robert Harvey loom as potential replacements alongside Adem Yze and Mark McVeigh.