Welsh was replaced as coach of the VFL's Casey Scorpions at the end of the season, having taken the side to the finals in his first year before a dramatic fall down the ladder in his second.

Welsh, 44, played 43 games with Carlton between 1992 and 1997, and was part of the Blues' grand final side that lost to Essendon.

It has been a year of significant change in the Saints' football department, headlined by the recent appointment of Jamie Cox as football manager after the departure of Chris Pelchen. The Saints had also appointed development coach Peta Searle, part-time defensive coach Danny Frawley and part-time ruck coach Adam Skrobalak while promoting Ameet Bains to chief operating officer, Danny Sexton to director of coaching and Simon McPhee the head of its academy.

Bains was pleased to have obtained the final cog in Alan Richardson's coaching group. "It is tremendously exciting to finalise the club's coaching structure for the 2015 season," he said.

"At a time of significant regeneration at the Saints, we will now enter the new year with a complete coaching panel to drive our young list forward."