SPRINGBANK is on the hunt for a new coach after Sam Giblett announced he would step down at the end of the Central Highlands Football League season.
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Giblett will call it quits once the Tigers' year is over, relocating to Torquay for work and family reasons.
His resignation will mark the end of a three-year reign at Springbank, which has spawned three finals appearances in a row, presuming it avoids a catastrophe in its last two games this year.
However, the Tigers are yet to reach a preliminary final with Giblett at the helm and are currently sitting seventh on the ladder.
The club has already started interviewing a number of people to fill the vacancy, although football manager Gavin Keighrey said it would wait to officially start advertising.
Giblett said it would be difficult to leave the club, but said he would like to still have a match day role next year, if possible.
"I'd love to stay around the footy club if I can," the
former Redan premiership player said.
"It would be unfair to the club and playing group if I cannot commit the time required to coach at senior level with the travel commitments I'd be facing if I was to fulfil the senior job next year."
Signed to Springbank almost immediately after Redan's 2011 Ballarat Football League premiership victory, Giblett said he tried to bring a similar approach to the Tigers that had seen Redan become a BFL powerhouse for more than 10 years.
"Maybe there were times when I think the expectations I had for the players were too high," he said.
"I think what is in place at the moment now
has the club in good stead though.
"They're not going to be going backwards any time in the next 10 years."
Keighrey said Springbank would have been keen to offer Giblett at least another year as coach and was disappointed to see him go.
"He's definitely highly regarded from within our club," Keighrey said.
"We wish him well and we've offered him a match-day role next year, whatever that ends up being."
It is expected the Tigers will start officially advertising in September, but Keighrey said the result of their finals campaign would have no impact on the timeline.