Marc Almond has announced he will be stepping down as coach of Wodonga Raiders at the end of the season.
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Almond informed the playing group at training on Tuesday night that his third year at Birallee Park will be his last season in the top job.
"I guess for most coaches at any level it's three or four years now that most coaches are at the one club these days," Almond said.
"Regardless if you are at the top of the ladder or the bottom... it's no different.
"So I feel it is probably time for both the club and myself to look at the next phase.
"I'm really comfortable with it and it was a mutual decision by both parties.
"The time required to be a coach at O&M level is getting more and more and my life is getting busier and busier.
"So both the club and I both agreed it was the right time for something different.
"I think a few of the players were a little bit shocked and didn't see it coming when I told them on Tuesday night.
"But as I said 'we are all just custodians of the game and the club and we are just passing through and the time has come for me to do something different.'"
Almond replaced Jarrod Hodgkin at the helm at the start of the 2022 season.
The Raiders finished ninth with a 1-17 record in 2022 and eighth last year with a 2-14 record in the absence of Corowa-Rutherglen.
They have won one of seven matches this season with Almond's overall coaching record at Birallee Park four wins from 38 matches or just over 10 percent.
Almond felt the success of any coach can't be judged solely on wins and losses.
"I'm really proud of my record," he said.
"How you measure success depends on the different clubs and the different circumstances.
"When I first arrived I thought the club from a playing list point of view was on its knees.
"I feel as a club we have made some big inroads in that regard... and yes we would have loved to have won more games of football.
"But we have had a bit of bad luck and we are still clearly the youngest list in the competition.
"We lack the players with the age profile to help these younger guys win more games of footy.
"But I'm pretty proud of what the coaching staff has achieved over the past couple of years and feel we have established a group of young players that can take the club forward.
"If you go into our clubrooms after a game and opposition clubs comment on this quite regularly, how there is a genuine buzz around the club.
"That is something I take immense pride in as a coach alongside the rest of the coaching staff.
"If you only measure a club's success on wins and losses when you are in this stage of your development... you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
"Yes we do need to start making some inroads to wins and losses but I am proud that I'm leaving the club with a really solid group that trains at a high-level, our numbers are really good.
"We get 35-players sitting in review each week that want to get better and want to learn.
"So there are certainly other ways in which you can measure success."
Almond has a coaching record spanning more than two decades after initially being appointed as an assistant coach at Lavington under Tim Sanson in 2004.
He landed his first senior coaching position at Howlong in 2008 after replacing Anthony Ross and spent five years at the helm.
Almond led the Spiders to finals in every season including their come-from-behind 2010 grand final win against Culcairn at Walbundrie.
After stepping down from Howlong at the end of 2012, Almond was heavily linked to the vacant coaching position at Corowa-Rutherglen.
However, he instead took the coaching job at Dederang-Mt Beauty for just over two years with his tenure cut short due to "irreconcilable differences".
Almond then spent 1-1/2 seasons as an assistant-coach under Daryn Cresswell at Birallee Park.
He also spent three-years as coach of Corowa-Rutherglen after replacing Terry Burgess.
Almond was grateful to the Raiders for being given the opportunity to coach the club from 2022.
"I would like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to coach," he said.
"When they approached me about the job, they were in need of a coach and were at a low point in regards to playing numbers.
"It was well documented that I was going through a few issues in my personal life at the time and I didn't know whether I wanted to coach again or if I should.
"But I'm really glad that I did and I built some really strong connections with the players, committee and supporters around the footy club.
"I really enjoyed it and my coaching staff has been amazing.
"I couldn't have done the job without the support of Joel Price.
"I'm grateful for the support I've had from the people close to me and that first layer of people at the coalface.
"Pricey and Beau Packer have been huge in that regard and Cam Ellis-Yolmen as an assistant coach the last two years.
"This year Steve Bradshaw and Kade Butters came on board who I also want to thank.
"Lastly I would like to thank Stephen Clarke who was instrumental in getting me to the club and has been of great support and one of the best operators at committee level that I have ever worked with."
Almond didn't rule out coaching again in the future.
"I can still see myself coaching in the future but I will take my time to recharge the batteries and assess what my footy journey looks like," he said.
"At the moment I'm focussed on finishing this season off as strongly as possible.
"But I would imagine I will coach again at some stage."
