Only those in the inner sanctum at Murchison-Toolamba knew that Saturday’s heartbreaking Kyabram District League grand final defeat would be Nick Iorianni’s last at the helm.
The Grasshoppers mentor told the playing group and club leaders prior to the start of the finals series that he would step down upon the completion of the season.
Iorianni, who has steered the senior outfit since the start of 2019, was denied a memorable end to his tenure as Lancaster secured a 10-point win.
“It’s gut-wrenching, shattering and I’m exhausted,” Iorianni said post-match.
“I let the club and playing group know before the start of the finals that I would be stepping down at the end of the season.
“I’ve done it for four years now ... we always felt like we were building something special and then two COVID years certainly took its toll.
“I’m nothing but proud of the boys to be able to back-up after those two years, put in the work and to give ourselves a crack.
“Yeah the result didn’t go our way today, but it doesn’t take away how I feel about the boys and the club that’s for sure.”
Speaking on the 5.6 (36) to 6.10 (46) defeat, Iorianni said his side was unable to produce a four-quarter effort.
The Grasshoppers coach, like many onlookers, was shocked by the amount of rain that Mooroopna Recreation Reserve received during the grand final clash.
“(The rain) just kept getting heavier and heavier as the day went on,” Iorianni said.
“We felt like we were building after half-time. The conditions certainly didn’t favour us, but credit to Lanky, they just kept fighting and that’s reward for them.
“I thought Steve Burns was excellent for us across half-back. Andy Lloyd did well before he went down with his injury and Adam Macgibbon was another who stood up when he needed to.
“At the end of the day we knew we had to put together a four-quarter performance, but we didn’t quite get that done today.”