Matt Sharp standing down as Holbrook coach after six years

Sharp, who led the Brookers to their first Hume League flag for 18 years in unforgettable fashion last season, will remain with the club as a player.

He will be replaced at the helm by team-mates Andrew Mackinlay and Josh Jones, who have been appointed co-coaches.

Holbrook broke the news to their players at training on Thursday night.

"Sharpy's been a breath of fresh air for the last six years," Holbrook president Anthony Churchill said.

"He felt it was time to step aside but he still wants to play a bit of footy and probably enjoy his footy without the pressure of coaching.

"His contribution to our club has been unbelievable.

"We were near the bottom of the ladder when he started six years ago and we played finals every year, other than the season that got cut short (2021) and the season we had off with COVID (2020).

"He's been such a good person to have around the club and the way he goes about things, his communication with all the players, is great.

"We couldn't have been any luckier.

"Sharpy's a coach who takes the job on for 365 days a year, not just in the footy season.

"Even when he's playing cricket, he's still thinking about football!"

Sharp joined Holbrook from Lavington at the end of 2017 after three years as understudy to Panthers mentor James Saker.

He has since won 73 percent of his 88 games in charge of the Brookers, who have never finished lower than fifth during Sharp's tenure.

Under his leadership, Holbrook emerged as the most credible threat to the powerhouse of Osborne, finally beating the Tigers in the 2022 grand final when they produced a fourth quarter for the ages by kicking 7.6 to 2.0 in dreadful conditions at Walbundrie.

That was the first senior premiership of Sharp's career after he had equalled a club record by agreeing to coach Holbrook for a sixth consecutive season.

"It's a testament to him, and also the club, to have a player come in from outside the area and coach for six years and want to still stay involved," Churchill said.

"It goes to show that he's done something right and enjoyed it and that we're doing something right for him to want to stay."

Churchill is confident the appointment of Mackinlay and Jones will represent a smooth transition with the pair having played almost 300 senior games for the Brookers between them.

"It's been spoken about for 12 months or so and it all depended on Matt and whether he was ready to stand down," Churchill said.

"It's his call, he decided he's had enough and we'll give the other two a go.

"I expect much the same.

"They're coming into this job at the right time; there's no better time to take on a coaching job.

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"The club, on and off the field, is pretty successful so I'm sure they will pick up the pieces and continue on the way we're going."

Holbrook, chasing back-to-back premierships for the first time, sit second on the ladder with an 8-2-1 record.

As they did last season, Osborne occupy top spot and boast an undefeated record.

"We're in a very similar position to what we were last year," Churchill reflected.

"Injuries have played a big part this year but every club goes through that.

"As long as we've got the right cattle on the ground at the end of the season, we'll be thereabouts again."

Holbrook visit Jindera on Saturday before home games against fellow premiership contenders Howlong (July 22) and Osborne (July 29).

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