St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has confirmed the club has its sights on a new head of high performance management in the wake of Nick Walsh's departure from the Saints, with talks already ongoing with a rival AFL club to bolster their football department.
Walsh left his role as the head of performance and conditioning this week while acting football boss and high performance guru Dave Misson has looked to balance a multitude of roles in his tenure back at Moorabbin.
The shift among the club's key figures comes after a wave of personnel changes were made following Lyon's appointment as senior coach after the 2022 season, with Misson joined by club greats Robert Harvey, Brendon Goddard and Lenny Hayes in returning to St Kilda.
Head of football Geoff Walsh joined the Saints last October before having to resign from the role by January due to personal reasons, with Misson stepping in as an interim general manager of football.
The Saints are now looking toward another AFL club to sign a new high performance manager, with Lyon confirming the club already has a particular name in mind.
The St Kilda coach has revealed a decision is "really close" as the club looks to finalise another off-field acquisition.
"We're recalibrating where we're spending our money in the soft cap. We've put an extra sport scientist in there, we've put a football analyst on, and we've been working in the background assiduously doing our due diligence trying to build something out," Lyon told reporters on Wednesday.
"We had a model of Dave Misson coming in to oversee it completely. He's been trying to do both (general manager of football and head of performance). We'll implement the model we want, which is someone to oversee everything and we'll just keep adding resources.
"We're really close (to finding a replacement for Walsh), we're working with another AFL club. We're building out something in the longer term. This just expedited things, we've identified the person, we've had meetings previously and we're working amicably with another AFL club. It's really close to coming to fruition... that'll happy really quickly."
Nick Walsh's departure was confirmed by the club on Tuesday, with the Irishman leaving Moorabbin after two years with the Saints.
Lyon detailed there was no "personal beef" with the departed performance boss, with the decision to move him on more of a matter of "comfort" as he looks to refine his ideal structure within the football department.
"We're a new regime. I was appointed late, and in a perfect world you come in and put your model in and bring your own people. I brought Dave Misson in," Lyon said.
"In organisations when new leadership comes in and (with) new methods, you recalibrate, roles get adjusted. As much as there's no personal beef, I think personal job satisfaction isn't the same. I think we recognised that.
"I really admire Nick, he put a lot of energy in, he's a really good person.
"As a senior coach I need that comfort. I've had a lot of experience, I know what I need. It's really important you have comfort in that."
St Kilda's list has been plagued by injury over the course of the year so far, however a wave of key players are nearing returns to the senior side.
Spearhead Tim Membrey returned from pre-season knee surgery in recent weeks and could be joined by young star Max King in attack in the coming rounds, however Lyon has hinted King may need to wait until at least Round 9 for a return.
Midfield-forward Jack Billings is in the selection mix this weekend after fracturing his leg prior to Round 1, while defender Jimmy Webster has linked up with the main group at training after fracturing his cheekbone.
St Kilda confirmed on Tuesday that second-year tall Jack Hayes has sustained a hamstring strain and faces further time on the sidelines, having already been in recovery from a foot injury suffered before the season's start.
The Saints will face North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they look to bounce back from a Round 7 loss to Port Adelaide.
