A summer of seismic change will continue at the Western Bulldogs, with development coach Travis Varcoe set to depart the club.
Varcoe, who has been at Whitten Oval for three years, will part ways with the club in the coming weeks.
He will be the third coach to leave, with more football department staff expected to follow him as the Dogs re-shape the team underneath Chris Grant and Luke Beveridge.
Varcoe, a two-time premiership player with Geelong who also played for Collingwood, arrived at the end of 2020 and worked mostly with the VFL program in his stint.
In addition to coaching responsibilities, his role included acting as a mentor for Indigenous players Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Arthur Jones, and involved in the club’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
Varcoe joins assistant coaches Marc Webb and Rohan Smith to depart the club in the off-season.
As reported by SEN.com.au, Webb made the call to return home to Perth, while club great Smith was told his time was up, despite strong support from coach Luke Beveridge.
It’s understood forwards coach Matt Spangher is likely to stay, as is midfield coach Brendon Lade.
Stef Martin and Jamie Maddocks are the two other development coaches, while Stewart Edge has coached Footscray, whose season came to an end on Saturday.
Despite reports of interest in Stuart Dew, the club has not signed the former Gold Coast Suns coach as a replacement.
Many clubs are waiting on the coaching appointment at Richmond, as the outcome will determine the availability of key candidates.
From a player perspective, premiership player Toby McLean, plus veterans Taylor Duryea and Tim O’Brien are without contracts.
The Western Bulldogs have traditionally waited until after the best and fairest to make most list changes, which is due to be held on October 4 this year.
Exit meetings for VFL players on the Dogs senior list will be held early this week.