St Kilda coach Alan Richardson could be dismissed a year early due to contract loophole

A stunning contract loophole could reportedly see St Kilda coach Alan Richardson’s tenure ended a year early following a season filled with disappointment.

Speaking on Footy Classified, AFL reporter Caroline Wilson explained how Richardson could see the door at the end of 2019, despite being contracted through 2020.

“I think Alan Richardson in reality only has one more year on his contract, not two,” Wilson said.  

“They announced that he was being re-signed until the end of 2020, but my understanding is the clauses beyond 2019 are heavily performance-based.

“If things don’t work out next year, the club will let him go without a payout.”

When questioned about whether she believed that St Kilda had an get-out clause from Richardson’s contract, Wilson replied: “completely”.

Richardson’s future has come under question after a desperately disappointing 2018 season for the Saints which was exacerbated by another dispiriting loss to Essendon at the weekend.

However, despite the disappointment in 2018, Wilson said she did believe Richardson would still have the job next season.

“I do think that he will survive into next year,” Wilson said.

“I probably think that’s fair enough, given it sounds to me that (Saints general manager) Simon Lethlean’s gone in there and identified some real problems within the footy department.”

Wilson said that “structural changes” within the Saints’ football department were imminent, with nobody’s job safe.

“Even the CEO Matt Finnis is now under enormous pressure,” Wilson said.

“At presidential level, Peter Summers, who didn’t speak on the weekend, I think is now genuinely looking like he is going to have to stand down.

“He’s got another year to go on his term, but he’s five years into a five-year plan and it’s been a disaster.”