General Manager of Football Simon Lethlean expressed his excitement for incoming coaching duo Brett Ratten and Brendon Lade when speaking on the Dare Drink it Through Podcast on Friday morning.
Currently
“‘Ratts’ is a great appointment for the club,” Lethlean told saints.com.au.
“He was a significantly impressive coach in his own right at Carlton, he might have moved on from there when he didn’t necessarily think his time was up, but he got a pretty good record when you look back on that, and he’s had a really influential six years at the Hawks.”
READ: Ratten bolsters Saints
Lethlean said Ratten’s influence over Hawthorn’s premiership-winning midfield group would hold him in good stead to make an immediate impact at the Saints.
“Ratts has great intellectual property coaching-wise that he took there, and now takes away as well having worked with one of the best coaches ever in Alastair Clarkson,” he said.
“He’s got great rapport and great referencing from players he’s worked with and administrators too, so I think he’ll bring a lot to the club that will help us move forward in a really positive fashion on the coaching front.
“He comes from a program of success, he’s been a big part in establishing that success, and structurally, tactically and development-wise he’s very well-regarded, so he brings a whole suite of different stuff that I reckon is probably the best in
READ: Saints secure Lade
Port Adelaide premiership-winning ruckman Brendon Lade also joins the Saints’ new-look coaching panel after a nine-year spell of assistant coaching positions at both Richmond and the Power.
“He’s a really good get, I think he’s really well regarded at Port and was at Richmond too,” he said.
“I think in his own words, his family wants to get back to Melbourne for schooling and other reasons as well.
“He’ll bring a lot to the midfield, to our rucks, and he was an impressive player in his own right with success in premierships, and I don’t mind the fact that he knows how to do it as a player as well, so he and Ratts are great additions for the club.”
In this week’s episode…
Host Clair White is once again joined by St Kilda General Manager of Football Simon Lethlean to discuss the coaching changes at the club, a post-mortem on exit interviews, the brutal reality of delistings and Nathan Freeman, the uncertain futures of out-of-contract Saints, incoming President Andrew Bassat, the necessity of change, and new List Manager James Gallagher’s first week on the job.
Episode Guide
0:57 – Coaching changes – Brett Ratten
2:33 – Brendon Lade
3:19 – Adam Kingsley
4:40 – Rohan Welsh, Lindsay Gilbee & Simon McPhee
5:35 – Exit Interviews
6:21 – Nathan Freeman
10:25 – Saints out of contract
11:58 – Andrew Bassat
14:00 – Managing change
15:20 – James Gallagher
