Former Melbourne football chief Chris Connolly has emerged as a candidate to head up St Kilda's football operations.
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With Danny Frawley back in the fold as a part-time specialist coach, the Saints have now turned their full attention to securing a new general manager of football performance.
It's understood interviews began on Monday. There are a handful of candidates, with one believed to be highly respected assistant coach Danny Sexton.
Connolly has also been linked to the role. He has not been involved at AFL club level since leaving the Demons in October 2013.
He was a key figure in the AFL's investigation into allegations the Demons tanked for draft picks late in the 2009 season.
While the Demons were technically cleared of the charge in February 2013, they were fined $500,000, Connolly was suspended for 11 months and former coach, the late Dean Bailey, was suspended for the first 16 rounds of the 2013 campaign.
Connolly allegedly reminded club officials of the importance of losing matches in a bid to secure key draft picks. Those picks were eventually used on Tom Scully, now with Greater Western Sydney, and Jack Trengove.
Before leaving the Demons, he had been removed from the football department and worked in a marketing role.
Demons chief executive Peter Jackson said at the time Connolly's departure was for financial reasons.
Frawley was officially appointed as a part-time coach with the Saints on Monday, just days after Hawthorn had said he would be joining the defending champions in a similar role. Frawley will work with the Saints' defenders, using the knowledge gleaned in 240 matches as a bruising full-back from 1984 to 1995 and as Richmond coach between 2000-2004.
"It was the thing that got me excited - to be part of something that's growing and building - and in two or three years' time you'll see the Saints where they should be and it's back in finals. Hopefully, I can play a small part in that," Frawley said.
"There's going to be bumps along the road. It's a very young group and with a young group you do get a few troughs and a few highs.
"I'm really looking forward to being a steadying influence around the playing group and the coaches as well.
"Defence wins premierships and attack entertains – that's probably one thing I'll bring to the club. Sometimes you've just got to find a way and I think it's exciting to be here at a time where St Kilda are really building for the future."
Frawley, 51, will work with the likes of Josh Bruce, Sam Fisher, Sean Dempster and Luke Delaney as the Saints continue to rebuild under coach Alan Richardson and chief executive Matt Finnis.
The Saints have indicated they had to wait until Luke Beveridge accepted the Western Bulldogs senior role before they could offer Frawley a job. Beveridge had been set to join the Saints as a director of coaching.
Frawley said he had much to debate over the weekend.
"It didn't take too long, once I had a chat to Matt [Finnis], [board director] Andrew Thompson and Richo over the weekend," Frawley said.
"I'd like to thank the Hawthorn Football Club for what was going to be a good opportunity as well. That's what happens in football sometimes, it's a moving beast, it never stands still. It's been a bit of a whirlwind weekend, to be honest."
