"Clubs now need to be constantly aware of what they need, and what sort of person they need," said Parkin, a four-time premiership coach who was part of that second panel. "They need to constantly be asking: have we got the right person, for this particular group, at this point in time, to deliver?"

At Hawthorn, Jason Dunstall had similar thoughts when, as stand-in CEO, he chose Clarkson. "You don't get a coaching job on reputation, like you used to. Or should I say, you shouldn't," he said.

"We had a very clear philosophy about where our club and our list was headed. We needed someone who matched that. Alastair came in and he had exactly the same ideas and thoughts that we did. We didn't have a checklist, as such, but we certainly had a philosophy."

As it was for St Kilda, the process will be largely about the club knowing all it can about the man it appoints. "You put a coach in charge of your future, and they become what your club is known for. Our process was an exhaustive one, but it had to be," Fraser said.

"By the time we made a decision, we knew as much about each of the candidates as we could possibly have known. There isn't a thing about Ross that's surprised me this year.

St Kilda's sub-committee - Walls, president Rod Butterss, chief executive Archie Fraser, general manager of football Ken Sheldon and Dr Ross Smith - began by compiling a list of the 30-odd qualities they considered most crucial for the successful candidate. The attributes were grouped in different categories, and weighted in terms of importance.

The list - what Fraser calls a "balanced scorecard" - included things like sponsor and fan interaction, communication skills, and ability to work with generation Y. It looked at each candidate's football history - where and for how long they had played and coached, how many mentors they had worked with, and their achievements.