After four years at the helm, an AFL great-turned Eastern League Division One coach has called time on his tenure come the end of the 2025 season.
Gary Ayres and Montrose Football Netball Club announced on Thursday 19 June they would be parting ways, despite Ayres having signed a two-year deal that would have seen him stay on for 2026.
Appointed senior coach off the back of the pandemic years, Ayres led the side to a top-four finish in 2022 and 2024 and a preliminary final appearance in 2023.
Admittedly, though, Ayres said it took him some time to recommit at the end of 2024, having lost a fair chunk of the list.
“We’d had a fairly reasonable charge of doing what we needed to do, and that was clearly the development aspect of our list in ‘22 and then, of course, that momentum continued through ‘23 with being one or two kicks off making a grand final,” he said.
“So, of course, your mindset is about (keeping) that momentum going again and trying to keep the group together.
“For a variety of reasons, there were probably close to 25, perhaps 27 players that either retired, were in the city and didn’t want to travel, players going into lesser competitions and being remunerated for those decisions. Others gave the game away through either injury or whatever.
“So clearly, that’s a significant chunk of players to leave at one particular time, and even though the development program has always been pretty solid, it was a case of how could we go that step further if we didn’t quite have the depth of the list? As hard as we tried, we didn’t really improve that.”
Currently midway through the home and away season, Ayres said he was always planning to make a decision about his coaching future at Montrose.
With four wins and five losses, placing the demons fifth on the ladder ahead of a tough run of games against Park Orchards, Boronia, Beaconsfield and North Ringwood, succeeding to finals was still the aim but the path there would require tenacity.
“The next month will probably determine what will happen at the business end of the year,” he said.
But ultimately, on reflection, Ayres said, “we’re a little bit further off than what I would like after being there for three and a half years”.
“We just haven’t been able to build our depth up enough to compete with the top two or three sides.”
Coming into the coaching role, Ayres was determined to see Montrose elevated back to the Premier Division but the combination of players leaving and a misalignment of values left this unattainable.
“My philosophies in relation to commitment, sacrifice, standards, professionalism, there is a little bit of a difference in how some guys view that, and I get that.
“But when some of your better players are missing through weddings or holidays, that could honestly be the difference between making finals or not.”
Ayres said for clubs like South Belgrave that have seen success after success, they’ve typically built a side of talented players who have played at the club for three to six years, creating a sense of stability and sustainability.
“The development program has been pretty solid in giving young men opportunities (at Montrose).
“We still needed to have somewhere between four to six of what you would say is a great talent to just complement those young boys, and we’re a little way off doing that.”
As one of the bigger clubs in the Yarra Valley, now sporting senior women, senior men, reserves and two under-19 teams, Ayres said championing the ‘one club’ mantra was integral not only in culture but on the field too.
“The one club mantra, that’s super important, and even if it flows onto your game plan from a footballing point of view, that they have a similar game plan the seconds, the 19s, even the under 17s for that matter,” he said.
“These guys are then not only being developed from a craft point of view and skills and football acumen, but they’re also then being initiated with understanding the game plan, that if they came up to the 19s, or if they come up to the seniors, they have a bit of an understanding of what is required at senior football.
“It gives everyone a greater consistency about how you want them to play.”
In a club statement, Montrose issued thanks and appreciation to Ayres, regarding him as “a true professional and passionate leader”.
“Gary raised the bar for our football program and club culture, always bringing a strong sense of purpose and, at times, a trademark sense of humour.
“His ability to build genuine relationships across all areas of the club was unmatched, and his efforts to elevate our ‘One Club’ mantra have had a lasting impact on the Montrose spirit.
“Gary’s legacy will not just be measured in wins and finals appearances, but in the people he’s inspired and the standards he’s set.”
Ayres confirmed he remains undecided about coaching in 2026 but is open to opportunities should they arise and still has “the passion and the energy to continue to coach”.
“But we’ll be trying to finish off the best that we can at Montrose.”
