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A few good men: The candidates to replace Scott Watters

Mark Williams – There can be no doubting Choco’s passion to keep coaching. One trip to Richmond training this year to see the former Port Adelaide coach putting the Tigers boys through their paces would have told you that. Whether the abrasive South Australian can toe the line at the notoriously fickle Saints could be the decisive factor. Williams, 55, has a clear vision of how he thinks football should be played, and how clubs should be run. Whether that fits with the Saints’ could be key.

Rodney Eade – Eade’s name is always thrown up whenever a coaching vacancy arises, but at 55 it seems the man who took Sydney to a Grand Final in 1996 could be content with his role as Collingwood footy director and his media work with Fox Footy. Eade only accepted his new position in August after Geoff Walsh’s departure from the Pies, and it would be a surprise if he took the reins at Seaford.

Scott Burns – Burns was close to the Adelaide job before Brenton Sanderson was appointed in late 2011, and the former Magpie midfielder was bitterly disappointed to miss out on the Eagles’ gig to Adam Simpson. Burns served a long apprenticeship under John Worsfold, and has only just accepted a role to head back to Melbourne to work under Eade and Nathan Buckley at the Pies. A chance to make his mark as a senior coach with the Saints could be just the ticket for the 38-year-old.

Robert Harvey – Harvey, a Collingwood assistant, was unhappy when St Kilda overlooked him in favour of Watters two years ago, and the club legend and dual Brownlow medallist could be just what is needed down at Seaford. The knock on Harvey is that he may not have the strategical nous of some of the other contenders for the job, but there aren’t many former Saints who would command the respect Harvey does.

Michael Voss – Voss was unlucky to be given the boot from Brisbane this year, and has taken his time to collect himself after the shock of that dismissal. Whether he wants to throw himself back in the deep end so soon after that is a big question, and the triple premiership skipper could prefer an assistant role somewhere to lick his wounds.

John Worsfold – Worsfold is in the USA preparing for the New York Marathon, and it is doubtful whether the former Eagles premiership coach would be keen to sign on for the marathon that rebuilding the Saints would surely prove to be. Never say never, but Worsfold would have to be at the longest odds of any on this list to be chosen as the next man to lead St Kilda.

Others in the mix – Brett Ratten, Alan Richardson, Dean Laidley, Mark Harvey, Stuart Dew

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