Now that he’s batting against genuine pace again, Brett Ratten is determined to dig in and build a long AFL senior coach innings.

While the caretaker St Kilda coach’s hand is up for the job full-time, he said on Friday he’s yet to receive any feelers from the Saints, his old club Carlton or North Melbourne.

He welcomed the appointment of former Hawthorn colleague David Rath to the Saints coaching sub-committee, but Ratten also stressed that would do him no favours.

Asked if he wanted a quick decision from the Saints, Ratten said such an important decision must not be rushed.

But more immediately, the former Carlton coach is relishing his return to the senior coaching hot seat following Alan Richardson’s departure – especially given the win over the Western Bulldogs.

“You’ve been playing cricket and you get to face not the opening bowlers, but the medium pacers,” Ratten said of moving up from an assistant’s role to the senior job.

“Then you get back and now you’re facing the opening bowlers – it’s coming through a bit quicker.

“Everything is sped up a lot, so that’s your time, everything like that.

“It’s been enjoyable and especially if you get wins on the board, it makes it really enjoyable … I’m having fun.”

Ratten said Saints president Andrew Bassat had spoken to him on Wednesday night ahead of their coaching sub-committee announcement, but otherwise there had been no formal contact from the club hierarchy.

He was asked about his interest in coaching Carlton or North, as well as the Saints.

“I’m not sure – I probably have to get asked first,” he said.

“I might not get asked. That will be interesting.

“We’ll just see what happens there.”

But Ratten confirmed he would love to coach the Saints beyond this season.

“Yeah, I’m putting my hand up here, but you don’t (know) what’s around the corner,” he said.

Ratten laughed when asked how tough a call it would be if St Kilda and Carlton wanted him.

“That’s a good hypothetical, but it hasn’t happened,” he said.

Ratten was an assistant at Hawthorn and worked with Rath there for several years.

Rath now works in the AFL football department.

“We have a long relationship in being involved at Hawthorn and the premierships we won, but this will be pretty professional,” Ratten said.

“If I’m in that process, he’ll treat me like any other person.”

He is also unfussed that it will probably be several weeks before the Saints decide who has the reins next season.

“Whether it’s Carlton, North or the Saints, I don’t think they should be rushing into any decision,” Ratten said.

“All clubs are making this decision because the club isn’t going where they want it and they need to make a change.”