Cameron Stokes has stepped down from his position as senior coach of Northern Territory Football League club Darwin Buffaloes.
The former Hawthorn forward informed the players and club's committee of his decision during the week.
Stokes was appointed as the Buffaloes' coach before the 2020/21 season and led the club to two finals series during his time at the helm.
The 34-year-old told SEN's Fridays in the Top End that the decision to relinquish the job was not taken lightly and that he would remain at the club in some capacity.
"I just felt like it was the right time to just freshen up a little bit and take a break from the role," Stokes said.
"The Darwin Buffaloes has always been a club that has been close to my heart, so I'll definitely be sticking around.
"The capacity of which role is not quite decided yet, I'll definitely be playing some footy in the reserves and helping out some sort of management area would be my preferred role."
The double-blues missed the finals last season, finishing in sixth position after posting eight wins from 16 matches.
The club released a statement during the week acknowledging Stokes' efforts over the previous four seasons.
"On behalf of the DBFC we acknowledge the level of strong leadership, commitment and desire to push our men's program to achieve success on and off the field," the statement read.
"We thank Cam for his frank and fearless approach to coaching and wish him all the best in his future endeavours."
The Buffaloes have posted an advertisement for a new senior coach across social media, with applications closing on April 24.
Stokes believe that the incoming coach would be taking over a group with plenty of potential.
"I believe our group at Buffaloes is a greatly talented group, so if you can top that up with the right recruits I think you can go a long way," he said.
"I think someone from outside the footy club would be a great idea, to shake things up, and I think that was a part of my decision – the boys can really go a long way with the right person in charge.
"If you talk about the U18s group, Peter Andrews has led that group for a while and developed a young group who can really contribute (at senior level) over the next couple of years.
"Obviously (club captain) Jarrod Stokes has led the way for a long time – but the core group is playing some really good footy.
"It's a really good group to get a hold of."
Stokes played 20 games at AFL level for Hawthorn between 2008 and 2010 in an injury-plagued career that included hamstring injuries and a ruptured ACL.
