Illabarook's Rod Gladman quits

The 44-year-old has vacated the role immediately, leaving caretaker coach and senior player Ash Clark to occupy the helm for the remaining five home-and-away rounds, starting today at Hepburn.

Gladman said he felt an overwhelming sense of relief following his decision to step aside, believing he did his best in two tough years at the Bulldogs.

“I’d been thinking about it for probably three or four weeks. I’d given everything when I coached, but just felt at certain stages the playing group, despite two or three players, weren’t 100 per cent committed to trying to pull the club back out of where they are,” Gladman told The Courier.

“At certain stages your numbers at training were down and it seems to be the same old faces.

“Basically, I couldn’t do anymore for them.”

Gladman’s reign at Illabarook was his fifth coaching stint at senior level, following roles at Hepburn, Creswick and Gordon in the Central Highlands and East Ballarat in the Ballarat competition.

“I’m happy I helped (Illabarook) out. It was a situation where, to be honest, they weren’t going to get the best coaches going round. Hopefully the players I did coach for nearly two years have learnt a little bit more about how to play the game the right way,” he said.

“I gave it everything I had, I even tried to play last year.”

Illabarook will actively pursue a replacement for Gladman, with president Nick Gray believing the club would target a 

playing coach for 2014.

“We were happy with the coaching side of it. (Gladman) did everything he possibly could to manufacture a win and keep players enthused, but it’s just a big problem when you haven’t got the cattle,” Gray said.

“We will endeavour to try and find a coach that wants to lead and take us through for a couple of seasons.”

tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au