You trusted me with the responsibility of leading this team and, just as importantly, you gave me the backing and resources to build something we could all be proud of. In football, it is easy to stand together when things are going well, but true support is shown during the difficult periods, when decisions are questioned, pressure builds and belief is tested. During those moments, your backing meant more than you probably realised. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, for listening, for supporting the vision and for sharing the ambition to take this great club forward. Every trophy, every final and every special moment we experienced was not simply an achievement of the players and coaching staff, the Board played an important part in making those moments possible. I will always be grateful for the faith you placed in me and incredibly proud that together we were able to repay some of that faith by bringing success and unforgettable memories to South Melbourne. To my Director, Peter Kokotis, there are some relationships in football that go far beyond football. I will never forget what we have shared. The trust, the conversations, the challenges, the victories and, most importantly, the friendship we have built will stay with me forever. Thank you for believing in me and standing beside me throughout this journey. To all my fellow coaches and staff, thank you. Success is never achieved by one person, and everything we accomplished belongs to all of us. And to Sam,my friend, my rock. You have been beside me through the moments everyone sees and, more importantly, through the moments nobody sees. When things were difficult, when I questioned myself, my decisions and even my own principles, you were there to guide me, challenge me and help put me back on the road. I will never forget that. Some friendships are bigger than football, and ours is one of them. I leave with enormous pride in what we achieved, but even greater gratitude for the people who shared the journey with me. I hope our legacy is not defined simply by what we won, but by what we left behind, a stronger belief in what South Melbourne can be, standards worthy of this badge, memories that will live on, and a foundation for those who come next to build upon. Although my time in this role comes to an end, my connection with South Melbourne does not. I will always be a South Melbourne supporter. I will always want to see this club succeed, because once you have lived and felt what this club represents, a part of it stays with you forever. Thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you for the memories.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for the chants, the victories, the difficult moments and the journey. Thank you, South Melbourne FC. 💙🤍 Forever grateful.

THANK YOU, SOUTH MELBOURNE FC 💙🤍 It is incredibly difficult to find the right words to say goodbye to a club that has given me so much. South Melbourne FC gave me an opportunity to make my name, to prove myself, to lead, and to be part of a journey that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. When I look back at what we went through together, I feel nothing but pride. From fighting to save ourselves in that first year, to lifting the Dockerty Cup, becoming National Australian Champions, reaching the Grand Final of the OFC Pro League, and then achieving something truly historic in winning the Australia Cup with a semi-professional team competing against fully professional opposition. That achievement will always hold a special place in my heart. We were a group of players and staff who balanced football with the realities of semi-professional life, yet we refused to put limits on what we could achieve. We believed in each other, believed in our standards and believed that when we stepped onto the pitch, reputation, resources and professional status did not determine the outcome. Together, we made history. To win the Australia Cup as a semi-professional club, in a competition featuring the best professional teams in the country, is an achievement that will forever hold a special place in the history of Australian football. And perhaps what makes that journey even more special is seeing where the club stands today. The team that achieved that historic success as a semi-professional group has now become fully professional. To know that we played a part in that progression, helped raise the standards and demonstrated what this club was capable of becoming gives me an enormous sense of pride. We didn't just win trophies, we helped change what people believed was possible for South Melbourne. We created memories and achieved things together that can never be taken away from us. More than anything, I hope we leave behind a legacy at this club. Not only in the trophies we lifted or the results we achieved, but in the standards we set, the belief we created and the culture we built together. I hope this group showed what is possible when people truly believe in one another, fight for the badge and refuse to compromise on what they stand for. If even a small part of what we built continues to live on and helps inspire the next chapter of this great club, then that is something I will always be incredibly proud of. But football is about much more than trophies and results. It is about people, emotions, sacrifice, belief and belonging. To the South Melbourne supporters, a big thank you. Your passion and support meant more to me than you will ever know. I will never forget standing there and hearing you chant my name. Those moments inspired me, lifted me and drove me to give absolutely everything I had to bring success to this great club. That sound and that feeling will stay with me forever. To my players, saying goodbye to you is the hardest part. You were my group, my responsibility and my family. We suffered together, celebrated together, fought together and achieved together. The emotional connection I have with this group makes this incredibly difficult. I am incredibly proud of you, not only as footballers but as people. Thank you for trusting me, believing in me and giving everything for the badge and for each other. Whatever happens next in your careers, never forget what we built together, the standards we set and what we proved was possible. Protect that legacy and continue to carry it forward. To Co-Presidents Bill Papastergiadis and Andrew Mesourouni, and to the Board my sincere and heartfelt thanks. None of what we have achieved would have been possible without your unwavering belief, commitment, and support.