Popular coach Andrew Wilson announces that he will step down as coach of Jindera

The popular mentor has either been an assistant coach or coach since 2006 and has 18-years straight coaching experience.

He replaced Kerry Bahr at the helm as coach of Jindera at the end of 2018 which also coincided with a player exodus at the kennel.

The Bulldogs finished 11th with a 3-15 record in 2019 before Covid ruined the following two seasons.

Wilson has been instrumental in the club's rebuild after making the preliminary final last year.

The Bulldogs have been one of the hardest hit clubs by injuries this season and sit seventh with a 6-6 record with six rounds remaining.

"This season will be it for me," Wilson said.

"I just felt the timing was right.

"The club was fully aware where we sat when I agreed to go again at the end of last year and this would most likely be my last season.

"I sat with the club again after round three and reiterated that this would be my last season.

"The club said to me to keep an open mind and they were keen for me to go again.

"So I thought about it for another month before I made a final decision after round seven that the time was right to step down.

"I said I was happy to let the playing group know when the club felt it was the right time."

Wilson said it was an emotional moment informing the playing group of his decision after going down to reigning premier Holbrook on the weekend.

"It's only natural to have mixed emotions," he said.

"It's something that I've put a lot of time into and the group we have got at the moment has been a labour of love for the past five years to get back to being competitive and playing finals.

"It's not just the coaching but the relationships built with individuals.

"If somebody were to critique me about my performance, I mightn't be the best coach in the league footy-wise.

"But my people skills and being able to build relationships is one of my biggest assets.

"So announcing my decision to step down was always going to be a bit emotional for me.

"I don't like a lot of fanfare so I kept it fairly short and sharp and the club didn't even know I was going to do it on the weekend.

"So I just went bang and did it but also reminded the group that the journey is not over and that we want to make finals again this season."

Wilson served one of the longest-serving coaching apprenticeships in Hume league history where he was an assistant coach for more than a decade.

He was initially appointed assistant coach at Henty in 2006 when Mark Sanson was at the helm.

"I was an assistant coach for a long-time because I started way back in 2006 at Henty," Wilson said.

"I spent six years as an assistant at Henty before crossing to Jindera and performing the same role.

"I got to learn from some astute coaches including Sanson and Adam Wiseman at Henty.

"Then I went to Jindera and was under Ken Stevenson, Josh Walker and Kerry Bahr."

Wilson felt he was stepping down after having laid the foundations for the Bulldogs' next flag assault.

"It's no secret that there was a bit of a player exodus at the end of 2018 after losing the grand final and Kerry stepping down," he said.

"My main goal when I took over as coach was trying to get the right feel at the club which I think I have been able to achieve.

"One of my coaching philosophies has been that the playing group has to enjoy being there.

"Once you come through the gates at the footy club you have to want to be there.

"You want the players to enjoy being around the club and not to feel like it is a chore.

"You also want to attract recruits that want to be at the club for the right reasons.

"If you make that happen things seem to flow a lot better and you can then try and chase a bit of success.

"So when I first took over there was a bit that needed to be sorted out and there was a bit of love lost between the playing group.

"It has been a process that the club has chipped away at and recruiting is always the tricky part.

"But there are plenty of recruits at the club that have been part of the group for three or four years now.

"So we have now got to the stage that we have a group that wants to be together and for all the right reasons."

Wilson said targeting recruits who had a previous connection at the kennel was one of his main priorities during his coaching tenure.

"I guess if you have a look at our recruits the majority have a previous connection to the club," he said.

"A lot of our former juniors headed in to play for Albury and now have returned after a stint in the O&M.

"Blokes like Sam Crawshaw, Ryan Speed and Dan Middleton who were at the club and then we started trying to lure back blokes like Lachie Dight, Alex Rowe, Caleb Simmonds and Will McGrath.

"They were all fairly close outside of football, so we tried to get them all together and be in a place where they could play with their mates.

"It doesn't happen overnight and you might get one or two a year and you keep chipping away.

"But as a club we are fortunate at the minute to have all the dominos fall our way."

Wilson considers Jindera his home club after playing juniors at the kennel and playing 190 senior matches.

He also had stints at Lavington (55 matches), Wodonga (40 matches) and Henty (111 matches).

"Jindera is my home club and that's where I played all my juniors," he said.

"It's where it all began and I played seniors before heading in to play a bit of O&M football.

"So I feel fortunate to be able to end my career at the kennel and be lucky enough to coach my junior club.

"It's a special feeling for sure."

The Bulldogs have been a real family affair for Wilson.

"My parents have had a stint on the committee, more so when I was a junior," he said.

"My older brother has helped me on the bench since I've been coaching and also had a stint at coaching the reserves.

"My nieces play netball in the junior grades."

Wilson didn't rule out coaching again in the future.

"I guess you never say never," he said.

"But as I said, I've been an assistant coach or coach since 2006, so that's a long stint.

"I've got a young family and the three girls are right into their netball now.

"So Saturday's are pretty full on with games of netball and my wife, Alana, is still involved with the netball at North Albury.

"You combine that with running a business (SportsPower) that only shuts four days a year, life gets busy.

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"But I've got no regrets.

"I feel the club is in a strong position both on and off the field and a fresh voice as coach might be the spark that can take this group all the way.

"But hopefully my journey at Jindera still has a bit to play out and we can progress deep into September once again this year."

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