STEPHEN Arthur has resigned as coach of Wakool, effective immediately.
Arthur met with club officials on Wednesday night to inform them of his decision, which he said had been made reluctantly.
“I’ve got a new job as a sales rep with William Adams in Swan Hill and in the first couple of weeks I’ve been on the road to Tasmania and Victoria and I just can’t put 100 per cent effort into footy anymore unfortunately,” he told the Gannawarra Times yesterday.
“I just can’t put in the time and effort that the position requires, so to be fair on Wakool and my employer I’ve made the decision to resign.
“It’s a decision I didn’t want to make because I love Wakool and I’ve got a lot of history there, but I didn’t want to get to the point where people were saying I wasn’t putting enough effort in.”
Arthur said it wasn’t clear who would take his place, although he believed the players would be capable of looking after themselves.
Despite just one win this season, Arthur said he had relished his time as coach, leading the club back from a hiatus in 2016.
“The scoreboard hasn’t been really good but the big picture is that the club’s back going again and looking toward the future, and hopefully we have another win this Saturday against Macorna,” he said.
Arthur said he would still help out when able on game days, and said he was full of confidence in the future of the club.
“I’ve got every confidence the club will be back again next year; off the field socially it’s been really good this season, with big numbers attending social events,” he said.
“I want to thank Wakool Footy Club for giving me the opportunity to coach and thanks to all Golden Rivers clubs and the board and AFL Central Murray for all their support. I wish the club good luck for the rest of the year and the years to come.”
