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By Paul Pickering
OUTGOING Pearcedale coach Jason Chapple says he is shattered that increased work commitments have prevented him from ‘sticking fat’ at his beloved footy club.
Chapple announced his resignation last month, vowing to dedicate more time to his plumbing business and young family.
His decision came just two months after 21 of his players accepted responsibility for their involvement in a much-publicised footy trip that ended in the trashing of two Warrnambool motel rooms. But Chapple this week dismissed any suggestion that his resignation was prompted by the fallout from that incident. “It was absolutely nothing to do with the footy trip,” he said.
“It was just that with work and family commitments, it was getting too hard and I couldn’t commit. If I wasn’t fully committed it wouldn’t be fair on Pearcedale, and I don’t want to do things half-hearted because they deserve better.
“It will seem to people that I’ve left because of that, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I love the joint, and if it wasn’t for my job I definitely would have ‘stuck fat’.”
The Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League’s response to the incident was to place the club on a $10,000 bond for five years and ask each of the 21 players to provide a written explanation of why they shouldn’t be deregistered by the league.
Chapple said he thought those sanctions represented an over-reaction from MPNFL officials, saying that the club was determined to deal with the players itself. He also disagreed with the assertion that the players had brought the league into disrepute, arguing that the Warrnambool getaway was not a club-sanctioned trip.
“Everything’s been blown out of proportion,” he said, likening the league’s response to the AFL’s crack-down on recent player-behaviour issues.
“Local footballers are not role models. They’re just blokes who go down and have a kick with their club.”
Chapple admitted that the furore had weighed heavily on him in recent months and he was somewhat relieved to step aside.
“I’m shattered that I can’t coach Pearcedale, because it’s a great club and they’re fantastic people, but it’s a weight off my shoulders and I’m looking forward to spending time with my family,” he said.
Pearcedale finished fifth on the Nepean league ladder this season and bowed out to Rye in the elimination final.