St Kilda has appointed Essendon strength and conditioning coach Alex Sakadjian as their new head of high performance.
Sakadjian will replace Nick Walsh, who was in the role for two years before he left the club this week.
Sakadjian will head high performance under Saints' football boss, Dave Misson, with the pair previously worked together at Melbourne, until Sakadjian joined the Bombers at the end of 2021.
โWe're thrilled to welcome Alex to St Kilda,โ Misson said in a club statement.
โAlex comes to us with a diverse background having worked across multiple codes, but his professionalism has been a constant and is an aspect of his we're excited to have at the Saints.
โWe are confident Alex will bring a high level of expertise and strategic elements to our Performance, Strength and Conditioning, Sport Science and Rehabilitation programs and believe his impact will greatly our football program.โ
Sakadjian's tenure with the Saints won't commence until June 1.
Ross Lyon had confirmed on Wednesday that the Saints had a name in mind as to who they would appoint.
"We're really close (to finding a replacement for Walsh), we're working with another AFL club. We're building out something in the longer term. This just expedited things, we've identified the person, we've had meetings previously and we're working amicably with another AFL club. It's really close to coming to fruition... that'll happy really quickly."
Prior to the appointment of Sakadjian, Dave Misson had been balancing the roles as interim general manager of football and head of performance.
Lyon thanked Walsh for his commitment to the club over the last two years.
"I really admire Nick, he put a lot of energy in, he's a really good person.
"As a senior coach I need that comfort. I've had a lot of experience, I know what I need. It's really important you have comfort in that."
St Kilda will play North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium this Sunday at 4:40pm (AEST)
