The former GWS assistant coach shocked the central Victorian football community last week when he announced his resignation from the Pioneers because of family reasons.

Truslove's departure opened the door for former South Bendigo coach Danny O'Bree to be appointed interim coach.

A star player across three major leagues in the Pioneers' region - Bendigo, Sunraysia and Central Murray - O'Bree has made a big impression with the Pioneers in a long tenure as an assistant coach.

"The club is in a good position. Danny is a good coach and I reckon he's ready to go,'' Truslove said of O'Bree.

"Whether he gets the role or not, that's out of my hands, but I think he's ready to take on the role.

"The kids love him and he knows the region backwards. His coaching is improving all the time.

"Danny cares about people and he listens. He deserves a chance and I really hope he gets it."

Truslove said the decision to return to Sydney to be with his wife and family was a tough one.

"It's something I've been sweating on for three or four weeks,'' he said.

"In the end, we always preach to our players that family comes first and I had to make that call.

"I'll continue to mentor our players and our coaching staff. Danny (O'Bree) has been appointed interim coach and I've had a lot to do with him.

"I want to help him as much as possible and I'll be happy to mentor as many players as possible.

"I don't want to cut anyone off. I still work with some of the Giants boys and, even as far as back as when I worked at Carlton, I still talk to a couple of those players as well."

"The connection I've made with the staff and players has been huge.

"Footy is not always about wins and losses... it's about the relationships you build. I want to continue those relationships."

Truslove said the re-structure of the NAB League program for 2021 had "nothing to do" with his decision to leave.

He said he'd relished the opportunity to coach the boys and girls programs.

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"I think it's good that the girls now get the same opportunity to develop as the boys,'' he said.

"The new structure means they get the same coaching and resources. I really enjoyed working with our girls and you could see a clear improvement in their skill and attitude.

"The girls are in a real development phase.

"I think we need to grow the interest in our region in the girls game. I think compared to other regions we're probably behind in numbers and interest.

"There's talent there, but we probably need a couple years of development to get up with the other regions in the NAB League.

"The boys program is flying. The under-17s and under-19s will win their fair share of games. I think they'll be right up there."

Truslove plans to stay involved in footy.

"There's a couple of opportunities that might pop up in the new year,'' he said.

"Fingers crossed because I love footy and I want to stay working in footy as much as I can.

"It's a tougher environment because of COVID and there's less opportunities and less money around.

"I'd love to stay involved and work my way back into the AFL system over the next couple of years."

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