St Kilda have confirmed the club has parted ways with senior coach Brett Ratten, admitting the decision to re-sign Ratten mid-season was the wrong one in hindsight.
Fronting media on Friday, president Andrew Bassat and CEO Simon Lethlean explained the details around Ratten's two-year extension, which ended early after a review was conducted into the football department.
“I also want to address the issue of the extension of the contract," Bassat said.
“We gave Brett assurance at the start of 2022 that we would give him clarity mid-year.
“At the time, the team was winning games and in contention, and we wanted to give Brett all the support he needed to give him the best chance of success and to show that he could be our long-term coach.
“If we as a Club have regrets about that in hindsight, we cannot let those regrets get in the way of making the right decision for the future.
Lethlean admitted that the mid-season extension was intended to provide clarity to the playing group and Ratten himself, with the Saints heading into the bye with an 8-3 record.
"At mid-year, we were travelling pretty well," Lethlean said.
"It was the right thing for us at the time to support and provide the certainty for Brett and the playing group to pursue the rest of the season with some certainty.
"If you crystal ball that now, maybe in hindsight that's the wrong decision."
The duo admitted that there was no next coach lined up following Ratten's departure, also conceding that he was "blindsided" by the decision made on Thursday.
"I don't think Brett had any inkling," Bassat said.
"The fact that we signed him to a new contract probably made that harder to see coming."
The Saints are yet to make any comment on who will be their next senior coach, with the process to commence now that the Ratten decision was official.
Ross Lyon, who coached the club from 2007-2011, has been speculated as a possible candidate.
