CHIEF Operating Officer Ameet Bains may be the public face of St Kilda’s list management and recruiting team, but there are a host of other wise heads that will play important roles this trade period and ahead of November’s National Draft.

During the season, St Kilda supporters put their faith in Alan Richardson and the team, cheering on the players as the club continues its march back up the ladder.

At the moment, the Saints fan base is relying on Bains and his team to shape the club’s playing list for the next decade. No decision is made lightly and no stone left unturned in the pursuit of bringing elite young talent through Linen House Centre’s doors.

It’s a tough gig, but one that Bains and his team are perfectly qualified to handle.

The odd couple: Bains and Elshaug.

Jamie Cox – General Manager of Football Performance

Following a distinguished and long cricketing career in which he was agonisingly close to reaching the highest level, Cox turned his attention to sports administration.

He worked at the Australian and Tasmanian Institutes of Sport and was a selector for the Australian cricket team from 2006 – 2011. He was also the South Australian Cricket Association’s General Manager, a role which furthered his development within the coaching and player development ranks.

But before his professional cricket career began, Cox was drafted by Essendon in the 1987 National Draft and flirted with pursuing a football career for a short time.

Cox oversees the football department and will be an integral supporting role throughout the trade period. His experience in elite sport – both as a player and administrator – gives him a well-rounded perspective on what is required to build a successful club.

"Jamie has a wealth of experience in elite sport and brings a different perspective to St Kilda. He’s a calm, clear thinker with a number of key responsibilities in making sure our football program runs coherently and efficiently. Jamie is a terrific leader who has done a great job for us in his first season working in AFL." Matt Finnis.

Tony Elshaug – Recruiting and List Manager

Elshaug, a former Essendon premiership player and rover for Melbourne and Collingwood, was an established and widely respected assistant coach before taking on recruiting and list management roles in 2011.

As the head of St Kilda’s vast recruiting team, Elshaug intricately knows every prospective AFL player in the country and has now taken on more list management responsibilities.

He conducts house visits, takes notes on young players and generally coordinates the rest of the recruiting team. Alongside Bains, Elshaug has the most prominent role to play this off-season in acquiring new players to the club – and the Saints couldn’t be in better hands.

“With his vast AFL experience as a player and coach, Tony is one of the best recruiters in industry. He will effectively have day-to-day responsibility for delivering on our trade and draft strategy and for managing our network of recruiters.” Ameet Bains.

Wayne Hughes – Pro Scout

Hughes understands the AFL industry back to front. As Carlton’s recruiting chief for eight seasons, he has extensive knowledge of the landscape and what is required to bring players into the club. Indeed it was Hughes who helped convince Chris Judd to join the Blues just a season after winning a premiership with West Coast.

St Kilda first appointed Hughes as its National Recruiting Manager in 1989, a position he held for five years before Joining Fremantle as its Victorian recruiter. Now back at the Saints as the club’s Pro Scout, he specialises in trade and free agency.

Hughes will attend a minimum three AFL games per weekend and often watch all nine. It’s his job to know all 850 players in the AFL and dozens more in second-tier leagues, meaning St Kilda has a raft of information at its disposal when this time of the year comes around.

“Wayne has a wealth of experience in the industry. His main areas of responsibility as Pro-scout will be the tracking of AFL-listed players for trade and free-agency purposes.” Ameet Bains.

Wayne Hughes spent eight years as Carlton's chief recruiter.

Alan Richardson – Senior Coach

Like any senior coach, Richardson does more than simply manage the team on game day and throughout the week. His invested interest in list management and recruiting is clear, although having focussed on predominantly week to week football matters throughout the season, he is more of an observer when discussions come to bringing new players into the club.

"I’ve been nothing but impressed by Richo since I arrived at the Saints. His work ethic and commitment to making every player on the list better is first class. He’s an excellent people person, very honest, and shares a wonderful rapport with the players, coaches and staff. We’re in good hands with Richo as our senior coach." Jamie Cox.

RELATED: The Richo you didn’t know

Ameet Bains – Chief Operating Officer

A successful lawyer in his own right, Bains joined St Kilda ahead of the 2011 season and has played a major part in restructuring the club’s total player payment model and overseeing its recruiting.

With Elshaug now taking on more list management responsibilities, Bains is the primary trade negotiator and St Kilda’s public face of the trade period. 

"Ameet is responsible for our Total Player Payment (TPP) cap and list management strategy. He works closely with our recruiting team and manages negotiations with accredited agents on player contracts.  Ameet also has a number of broader legal and operational responsibilities across the club and is a real asset for the Saints." Matt Finnis