FORMER Saints prop David Fairleigh is the favourite with bookies Betfred to be the club's next coach.

Fairleigh, who played for Saints in 2001, is currently assistant at North Queensland in the NRL. He also coached Cook Islands in the 2013 World Cup.

He is priced at 11/8 with bookmaker Betfred, while former Wigan and Canberra forward David Furner is second favourite at 11/4.

The bookmaker’s odds suggest Saints chairman Eamonn McManus will look to an Australian for Keiron Cunningham’s successor – but it could one currently earning a living on these shores.

Geoff Toovey, the former New South Wales hooker, who is in charge at Bradford, is priced 5/1 while ex-Kangaroos boss Tim Sheens, coach at Hull KR, is longer odds at 33/1.

Jason Demetriou, now assistant to Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos but a name familiar to rugby league fans in the UK, is 5/1, while Jason Taylor, who recently left the Wests Tigers post in the NRL, is 8/1.

Former Saints coach Ian Millward, assistant coach at St George, is 16/1 to make a return to the club where he won silverware and played a brand of rugby that made him a favourite of with the St Helens public.

Another with connections to Saints, Paul Anderson, who was part of Knowsley Road’s awesome foursome in 2006, is at 20/1. Anderson is a former coach of Huddersfield and currently involved with the England coaching set-ip.

Former coach Daniel Anderson is at 50/1 to make a return to Saints, while a couple of his former charges Sean Long, who is part of the caretaking coaching set up following Cunningham’s exit, and Paul Wellens are at 100/1.

Ex-Saints skipper Bobbie Goulding, who threw his hat into the ring via social media, is 100/1.

Daryl Powell, who is currently steering Castleford to the heights of Super League, is 25-1. Powell was known to have admirers among the Saints hierarchy several years ago, before his star really began to shine.

A Betfred spokesman said: “It’s an interesting market with plenty of Saints fans putting forward their choices.”

Betfred odds on the next Saints coach

11/8 David Fairleigh

11/4 David Furner

5/1 Geoff Toovey

5/1 Jason Demetriou

8/1 Jason Taylor

16/1 Ian Millward

20/1 Paul Anderson

25/1 Daryl Powell

33/1 Tim Sheens

50/1 Daniel Anderson

100/1 Paul Cooke

100/1 Paul Wellens

100/1 Sean Long

100/1 Bobbie Goulding

100/1 Wayne Bennett

100/1 Tony Smith

100/1 Shaun Wane

100/1 Craig Bellamy

100/1 Eddie Jones

100/1 Warren Gatland

250/1 Phil Clarke

250/1 Jon Wells

250/1 Gary Schofield

500/1 Billy Boston