BARELY 12 hours after again declaring himself out of the running, Alan Richardson has had a change of heart and is now a candidate to coach St Kilda.

The Saints had been seeking the opportunity to formally interview Richardson for the position he came close to securing two years ago, but it took a late night change of heart on Tuesday for Richardson to decide to again submit himself for the process.

He advised Port Adelaide, where he is the director of coaching and strategy, of his decision on Wednesday morning and will meet with the Saints in the next 24 hours.

Mark Williams, the 2004 Port Adelaide premiership coach was considered the presumptive favourite to replace Scott Watters, who was axed by the Saints at the start of last week.

But given the Saints have been so dogged in their approach to Richardson, and so desperate to interview him, it would now appear an even money bet as to who will take charge at Seaford next season.

In any event, the Saints want to have the interviews completed by the end of the week, so that a decision can be made over the weekend and have the new coach in place for the various AFL events and meetings on the Gold Coast next week, culminating in next Thursday's NAB AFL National Draft.

Richardson is a former Collingwood player who has worked as an assistant with the Magpies, as well as Essendon, the Western Bulldogs and Carlton. He has been in the frame for several senior coaching positions over the past few years, which is understood to have led to his previous decision not to seek the St Kilda job this time around.

But he earned rave reviews for his work alongside Ken Hinkley at Port Adelaide this year, and in their first year at the club, they guided the Power to fifth place on the ladder.

After leaving Port Adelaide in 2010, Williams worked as Kevin Sheedy's senior assistant at Greater Western Sydney for two years before joining Richmond in 2012 as head of development. He has been keen for several years to win a senior coaching position with a Melbourne-based club.