Colac coaching duo Jason Armistead and Seb Ross will step down after two years in charge when the GFNL club’s season concludes.
A former star player with the Tigers, Armistead joined with two-time St Kilda best-and-fairest Ross at the end of 2024 to lead the Tigers following the departure of Rowan McSparron.
“Seb notified the club probably three or four weeks ago that he wasn’t going on,” Armistead said.
“I’ve been in discussions with the club over that period, and probably just couldn’t get to the point where I felt like I had the energy and the commitment again to do it.
“So, yeah, it was a pretty tough decision from my point of view, obviously with my close ties to the club.
“I’m one of those guys that if I can’t give 100 per cent of myself to that role, I’d prefer to say no rather than yes.
“I just couldn’t come to that 100 per cent commitment, and that was the tough decision I made.
The pair’s first year in charge fell just short of a grand final appearance, beaten by eventual premier St Mary’s in the preliminary final by 11 points.
However, Colac, which has been without Ross on the field for much of the season due to injury, looks set to be watching on this September.
The Tigers need to beat finals-bound St Joseph’s and St Mary’s in the final two rounds, and have fifth-placed Bell Park lose to St Albans this week to snatch fifth spot.
“It’s pretty slim probably now, but while there’s still a chance, we’ll be giving 100% towards it,” Armistead said.
“Hopefully we can just finish the season on a high wherever we finish.
“It’s been one of those years. It’s been a bit of a challenge at certain times. But the players have continued to work really hard all year, which is a credit to them.”
Armistead, who has also coached the Geelong Falcons Girls and Anglesea, while holding assistant roles at St Mary’s and Modewarre, says he is unlikely to take a senior role again.
“I’ll stay involved in footy somehow; whether that’s as an assistant or just helping out in some manner,” he said
“Where maybe you’ve got a little bit more flexibility with your time and commitment as well.
“It’d be nice just to put some time into other areas of my life that I’ve probably sacrificed over the last few years.”
Like Armistead, Ross, who has also announced his retirement as a player after a career that included 211 games with the Saints, said it wasn’t an easy decision.
“When I first got appointed as the coach, it was a two-year commitment,’ he said.
“And I always thought that I’d see that two-year commitment through, and obviously that was a really easy decision or train of thought at the start.
“But then, as I said to (football director) Lochie Veale, obviously once I’ve got involved in the club and made a lot of relationships and got to know the players and the other coaches and then the broader footy club, it was obviously I’ll be sad about the decision in the end
“But I felt like I’ve made that commitment to myself and also to my family to see out the two years, and I’ve stuck with it.
Ross was unable to have the impact on Colac that both he and the club would have hoped for, with the 33-year-old restricted to just 15 of a possible 37 games.
“Unfortunately, I just keep getting those injuries; not collision injuries or shoulders or ankles and that,” he said.
“It’s the soft tissue ones, and they’re not going anywhere.
“So, yeah, I think the body is trying to tell me something.
The departure of Armistead and Ross leaves Colac as the only GFNL club searching for a coach for 2027, with North Shore (Wade Chapman) and Geelong West (Garry Hocking) filling vacant roles in recent weeks.
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