Former St. Kilda player greats Grant Thomas and Leigh Montagna have called for the club to do whatever it can to lure Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge back to Moorabbin.

The Saints have begun their hunt for a new head coach following Alan Richardson resigning on Tuesday afternoon.

Former Carlton coach Brett Ratten has been appointed as caretaker, and there is a strong possibility that he will be given the full time job come 2020.

However, Thomas, who coached the Saints in 123 games, was adamant that the club should go hard after Beveridge.

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“I tell you what, I would take Luke Beveridge (as Saints coach) for a decade,” Thomas told the Herald Sun.

“I would do that … 100 per cent. (I’d say) ‘Here is a decade, Bevo, you are a St Kilda person, you understand the club. Your dad, Johnny, knows it back to front. You have grown up with it, you are the man, away you go’.

“Then you can make the hard decisions. You are going to have to get rid of some guys, you are going to have to rebuild and maybe trade a few players out.

“Just get it right.

“If it (a contract extension with the Dogs) is not done, they (St Kilda) should make every post a winner to appoint him.”

Beveridge played 45 games with the Saints during his career, and now coaches at the Dogs, where he led them to their 2016 Premiership success.

Leigh Montagna, who played under Thomas at St. Kilda, was just as forthright that the club should go after Beveridge.

“You’ve got to have a wish list don’t you? You’ve got to start at the top. And the names that we’ve thrown around are (Alastair) Clarkson, (John) Longmire, Ross Lyon. And I just suggested, why not Luke Beveridge?” Montagna said on Fox Sports’ AFL Tonight.

“He’s in that basket of being a premiership coach, he’s got a bit of St Kilda blood.”

Beveridge has not been offered a contract extension yet, but club president Peter Gordon told the Herald Sun that negotiations had begun.

“I know he’s contracted and I’m sure everyone at the Western Bulldogs is happy to have him, but it was just that conversation around that you might as well have your wish list and start at the top and work your way down,” Montagna said.

“Luke Beveridge, I rate really highly as a coach and he’s a premiership coach. He’s got the Dogs doing pretty good things lately, but you start at the top and work your way down and you end up getting the best available coach that you can get.”