Western Bulldogs development coach and operations manager Chris Maple will not be at the Kennel in 2023 after farewelling the club on Tuesday.
Maple served 14 years at the Bulldogs, specialising in numerous roles, most notably as a development coach for Luke Beveridge's men.
Bulldogs director of football Chris Grant thanked Maple for his service to the red, white and blue and wished him well in his future community-based endeavours.
"Chris' contribution to the Western Bulldogs, in particular, our AFL men's program, has been highly valued throughout his journey with us. This includes his involvement in our player development program, his various coaching roles, and his more recent operational responsibilities," Grant said in a club statement.
"Chris has been a valuable contributor to the on-field success of our men's teams and played a key off-field role in our run of AFL finals appearances, including the AFL Premiership in 2016 and our run to the Grand Final in 2021.
"Whilst it is always difficult to see any long-serving colleague depart, we support his decision to spend more time with his wife Tania and his boys, including a closer daily involvement in his local Ballarat community.
"On behalf of the Club, I would like to thank Chris for his outstanding level of commitment over such a sustained period and wish him well for the future."
Maple expressed his appreciation of the opportunity afforded to him by the Bulldogs when he arrived at the club in 2009 and wished the Bulldogs well moving forward.
"I would like to thank the Western Bulldogs for the opportunity it gave me 14 seasons ago to join an amazing club, which became my second home," Maple told westernbulldogs.com.au.
"I wish the players and staff all the best for the 2023 season and beyond, and I look forward to supporting the club from afar."
