SHANE Warne may have spent his entire adult life playing, watching and commentating on cricket, but on Saturday night he proved he is no slouch when it comes to football.

Warne, who who played under 19s with the Saints alongside Robert Harvey before embarking on one of the most illustrious careers in the history of cricket, spent the evening in St Kilda’s coaches’ box.

It was another example of St Kilda Football Club opening its doors, following Brian Taylor's day at Linen House Centre last week, Rohan Connolly in the coaches' box, and Mark Robinson in an opposition analysis meeting before the bye. 

Based on the three hours Warne spent with Alan Richardson and his coaching group, the 45-year-old left in no doubt that Richardson is the right man to carry the playing group forward.

“It was really interesting to listen to all the different coaches speak about things and watch the way Richo co-ordinated it all and made his moves,” Warne told SAINTS.com.au.

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Aside from being arguably the greatest bowler of all time, Warne also skippered the Australian one-day team 11 times, captained the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League and led the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash.

Warne played under the likes of Mark Taylor, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, giving him a unique point of comparison when it came to assessing Richardson’s leadership credentials.

“I think I would have snapped a few more times than what Richo did,” he said.

“He was pretty calm. I think I would of lost it a bit more up there.”

As for his beloved Saints, Warne is bullish about the future once the club’s core group of young players gain some more  experience at the top level.

“I think we have a really exciting list, I think the style of play that Richo has got the boys playing has been outstanding,” he said.

“You can’t question the endeavour of the guys. They’re hard at the ball, and they tackle extremely well.

“Get 40-50 games under a few of their belts and I think we will be challenging top 4 for sure.”

According to Warne, all that was missing on Saturday evening was a hint of polish.

“I think they will be disappointed they didn’t hit their targets with their kicks or handballs that well,” he conceded.

“There were just some skill errors tonight which was disappointing because I think if there was a couple of minutes to go the Saints might have actually won that I reckon.

“Like I said, their endeavour, their tackling and their pressure, all that sort of stuff is great.”

Nick Riewoldt and Shane Warne talk after the weekend's game.