He led the club to three VFL Premierships but North Ballarat coach Gerard FitzGerald’s time at the Roosters has come to an end.
On Thursday night the legendary coach was surprised by the news that his contract will not be renewed at season’s end after 15 years with the club.
“The two broad reasons I’ve been given…is that it’s time for a change and the club’s going in a new direction, that’s all that I’ve been told,” he told SEN.
“I certainly wanted to extend my contract and I started that procedure after I was formally reviewed by a sub-committee of the previous board at the end of last season.”
The club will be a standalone entity in the VFL from next year with North Melbourne opting for a single alignment with Werribee in 2016 and beyond.
“That’s the obvious change because to me, this next year or two for the football club will be the greatest change for 20 years since North Ballarat joined the competition in 1996,” FitzGerald said.
The 337-game coach felt he’d be the ideal person to lead the Roosters through the transition period and was shattered when he received news to the contrary.
“I felt, quite honestly, that I would be the best person to help guide the club through this next challenging and very difficult stage,” he said.
“I’ve invested an enormous number of time and years in the club…I’d be the first to know if I wasn’t the right person.”
In a statement, the Roosters simply said it was time to move in a new direction.
“This decision sends a message of change within the club for its next stage of development as it enters the VFL as a standalone team in 2016.
“The board continues to review the organisation's football structure to ensure that the club is well positioned for sustained success in the VFL. The board believes that these changes will be necessary to ensure that the club can be competitive in the ever evolving VFL landscape.”
FitzGerald has been involved with the club since 1997, its second year in the league, and led the Roosters to three premierships in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
“The clear request from the club (was) for me to continue the year. I was informed on Thursday night, late after the board meeting, so I spoke to the players last night, that’s the first time we came together as an entire group,” FitzGerald said.
With eight games left this season, Fitzgerald intends to coach the team to the best of his ability before considering his next move.
“It’s now just beginning to deal with things piece by piece really and begin to look ahead but the clear thing now is to make sure I continue to coach really well because that’s my job and that’s what I love doing.”
FitzGerald’s coaching career
- VFL games coached: 337. Equalled Bill Faul’s 313 VFL/VFA coaching record in round five last year. Faul’s record stood for 56 years.
- VFL state coach: 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010.
- North Ballarat Roosters: 1997-2002; 2007-2015
- Roosters VFL premierships: 2008, 2009, 2010; grand finalist 1999-2000. Fourth coach in VFL history to win three successive premierships.
- Springvale: 2003
- Port Melbourne: 2004 (grand finalist)
- North Ballarat Rebels’ TAC Cup under-18s coach: 2005-06.
- Other clubs coached include Sea Lake, Mortlake and Camperdown.
Darren Crocker on FitzGerald
“He’s been terrific for the development of a lot of our younger players. He’s a nurturer, he’s a teacher and he keeps it pretty simple too.”
“He’s always embraced what we do and our game-style and has taken it back to North Ballarat and implemented it with his players and our players that go back there.”
“He’s someone who has been a sponge, despite the experience he has. That’s something you like to see in a coach; someone who doesn’t always think their way is always the right way to go about it. He’s someone who has always been prepared to take advice and other opinions on board.”
“He’s evolved as a coach and always looked at way to get better and improve his craft. He spends a lot of time at North Melbourne at training and at games seeing what he can observe, learn and take away.”
“If he’s still got a strong passion to continue coaching, which I imagine he would have, then he’d be a really good asset for another team or organisation.”
Andrew Swallow on FitzGerald
“What he was always able to do is create a really positive environment for all the guys who went back to the VFL whether it was because you’d been dropped, were coming back from injury or just starting out as a draftee.
“He made footy fun and made it a lot easier to transition out of AFL into the VFL system and then work back in.”
“Dealing with the disappointment of being dropped from the AFL side is tough and Fitzy helped you get over it and get back to enjoying the game. He was always encouraging, made you feel welcome and backed you in to take the game on and regain some confidence.
“He was one of the guys that really helped me get back into playing in the seniors in 2009. He’s been unbelievable for that footy club, the development of our guys and for regional footy.
