It is the news Barooga supporters did not want to hear.
After 11 games, former AFL star Jackson Trengove has left his role as senior coach of the Murray Football League outfit.
The Hawks will be coached by 1997 premiership coach Tony Tranter for the remainder of the season with Trengove’s playing future uncertain.
The former Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs talent said a number of factors had led to his departure.
The former Hawks coach, who played 186 AFL games, said his enjoyment of the game and ability to juggle work and coaching commitments had become overwhelming.
“With work and the balance of footy I probably just wasn’t enjoying the coaching side of it as much as what I anticipated at the start of the year,” Trengove said.
“Work was obviously pretty stressful and then going to footy I wasn’t just able to train and play as I had some other responsibilities.”
Trengove said the decision to leave now was what was best for him and the club, with the departure allowing him to play elsewhere and Barooga able to begin preparations for next season.
“I sat down with the club and had a pretty honest discussion about where I was at, what I wasn’t enjoying and, obviously, Barooga where their landscape is, they are probably a developing team and it was a good way for us to part ways now,” he said.
The Hawks mentor was full of praise for his side, saying one of the hardest parts of the decision was leaving his side in limbo midway through the season.
“They are a really good, young group of men that are trying their best each week,” he said.
“I’ll hold friendships with some of the boys from the club forever and am really grateful they gave me that first experience of country footy.”
Barooga president Marcus Fry said the club wished Trengove all the best.
“In the end, time-wise for Jackson with his work commitments, we agreed it was an amicable (decision) that he had the chance to go and concentrate on playing footy and we could continue rebuilding our club,” Fry said.
“We’ve got a lot to gain out of the last seven games.
“We’ll just continue to get game time into our kids and look forward to improvement for next year."
Meanwhile, Trengove, who played for Southern Mallee Giants in Wimmera Football League on Saturday, said he was meeting up with a number of clubs to decide his future in the coming days.
“I went down there (Mallee) to sort of get away from the bubble of up here, just to have a kick with some mates, which was really enjoyable,” Trengove said.
“I need to weigh up what path I want to go down, whether it’s to the O and M or the GV league and probably just go up a notch in the leagues.
“It ended on a good note with me and the footy club, it wasn’t sour or bitter, it was a really good conversation about what was best for myself and best for the footy club.”
Trengove departs Barooga having kicked 43 goals in 17 games in two years, with a win-loss record of two wins and eight losses as coach.