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STEPHEN Arthur wishes Boort all the best for the remainder of the North Central season after parting ways with the club as senior coach.
Both Arthur and the Magpies say the coaching change has been made on amicable terms, with Boort to be led for the remainder of the season by the trio of Jack Smith, Sam Griffiths and Kieren Wilson.
With Boort struggling to find a coach, Arthur put his hand up in mid-December last year to take on the tough job given the club had just finished on the bottom of the ladder and was facing an exodus of players.
Arthur spent four games at the helm - losses by margins of 144, 182, 194 and 160 points - before he and the club agreed to the change of coaching direction.
"It was very amicable... it was hard work with a very young team, we were getting beaten heavily every week and I tried everything I could to get them up and going," Arthur said on Thursday.
"I knew it was going to be a really big job, particularly being appointed in mid-December and not being able to recruit, but I and the club were happy to go with the youth and we've already played a couple of under-16 kids in their first games, which is a positive.
"But the job I'm in that requires a lot of travel, and living in Birchip, which is 80kms from Boort, added to the challenge of it.
"It's obviously a tough year, but I wish the club all the best going forward."
Boort president Kane Arnold said the club was thankful for Arthur taking the job on when it was still without a coach approaching Christmas last year.
"We as a club had met with a number of prospective coaches and just couldn't land one," Arnold said.
"Rowdy stuck his hand up and contacted us. Given the position we were in spoke volumes of him."
READ MORE - BENDIGO ADDY FOOTY CHALLENGE - week six scores
Smith, Wilson and Griffiths took charge of the Magpies against Donald last weekend.
However, in a double blow for the Magpies on top of their 133-point defeat, both Smith and Griffiths suffered hamstring injuries.
There is a general bye in the North Central league this Saturday for the AFL Victoria Community Championships.
North Central, coached by Ricky Allan, is playing Central Highlands at Learmonth.
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