DUAL All Australian ruckman Brendon Lade looks set to continue his coaching career at St Kilda next season.
Port Adelaide confirmed Lade's exit on Saturday – the morning after the Power's campaign officially ended – with the experienced assistant coach eager to return to Victoria to "explore other opportunities".
The 42-year-old is one of three coaches moving on from Alberton, along with senior assistant Matthew Nicks and head of football development Aaron Greaves.
Lade played 234 games for Port Adelaide between 1997 and 2009, including the club's inaugural 2004 flag, and was one of the game's premier big men.
He started as an assistant at Richmond in 2010 and remained at Punt Rd until 2016, working as a ruck coach then with the midfield as part of ex-Power teammate Damien Hardwick's staff.
Lade, who is completing the AFL's exclusive Level Four coaching course that has groomed senior mentors Simon Goodwin and Stuart Dew, was Port's forwards coach the past two years.
There are three vacancies in Saints coach Alan Richardson's team, with Simon McPhee (senior midfield assistant), Rohan Welsh (senior forward assistant) and Lindsay Gilbee (defensive assistant) all departing.
Former Carlton coach Brett Ratten, who has spent the past six seasons working under Alastair Clarkson, met with St Kilda officials in recent weeks and could also be headed to Moorabbin.
Lade's Power premiership teammate Adam Kingsley is a highly rated senior assistant coach at the Saints.
"It's important for my family that we return to Melbourne to explore other opportunities," Lade said.
"Both Ken (Hinkley) and Chris (Davies, Port's football boss) fully understand and support our decision as a family. Port Adelaide has been everything to me and it will always be that way."
