LIKE sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Moorabbin.

The saga that the sacking of Grant Thomas has become for St Kilda is now destined for the courts, with the former coach declining a third offer to settle his claim against the club for more than $270,000.

A three-day civil trial is set to begin in the County Court on May 14.

It is believed that after being rebuffed twice late last year, the Saints put a third and final offer to Thomas on December 21 in the hope of consigning the episode to the past and sparing the new administration of president Greg Westaway, and the football club at large, any further distraction.

The offer, of a capped payment of $120,000 or $101,000 plus costs and interest, bettered the previous offer of $100,000 that was meant to resolve the first claim in Thomas' two-part writ, which was served on the club in the last days of the presidency of Rod Butterss, on September 5.

The renewed offer came with what is believed to have been a final offer ultimatum and a 14-day sunset clause that effectively meant the former coach had until January 4 to consider and accept the deal. It was not.

The rejection could mean that if Thomas wins the pending court case but is awarded less money than St Kilda has offered, he may be liable for the club's costs.

Thomas was sacked in September 2006 and left Moorabbin with six months' salary and the promise of a further $100,000 if he honoured a non-disparagement agreement that forbade him to comment on St Kilda board issues or directors.

Although specifics of the six-figure agreement were never committed to paper, as they were supposed to be within seven days of Thomas' dismissal, it was meant to be honoured by March of last year.

The sum was withheld after Butterss and members of his board accused Thomas of privately and publicly undermining the club.

The former coach is now seeking almost $105,000 in compensation on that front but is also seeking a further $168,000 for what the second part of his claim describes as annual leave and public holiday entitlements, although Thomas, who coached the club for just over five seasons, signed a statutory declaration before his departure that stated he had taken all the annual leave he was owed. Thomas has since claimed he was pressured to sign the declaration only days before being removed.

Butterss, who had settled a personal and long-standing legal matter involving the repayment of a loan to Thomas of more than $1 million in the middle of last year, stepped down last October to allow Westaway and his Footy First ticket to succeed his board.

The new administration, apparently keen to start its time with as few bothersome distractions as possible, then factored a settlement into its accounts and approached Thomas in early December with an offer that was rejected.

Representatives for the two parties subsequently met on December 19 without a resolution. The most recent offer was made two days later.