NAB League: Robbie Chancellor departs as Western Jets coach

Robbie Chancellor is leaving the Western Jets for a new AFL opportunity but his mark on the club can’t be forgotten after changing the outside perception.

Robbie Chancellor leaves the Western Jets with his head held high.

The NAB League club’s coach is set for a return to the AFL after he was appointed the Head of Development at the GWS Giants.

But his mark on the team from Melbourne’s west will never be forgotten.

In a two-year stint as coach, Chancellor’s first head coaching position, he has built a foundation which will be remembered for years to come.

Straight out of a role with St Kilda, where he had been since 2013, Chancellor had one clear goal in mind.

He labels his drive as “ambitious” but he knew where he wanted to get the Jets to.

“We had probably been seen as one of the less competitive regions in the last few years and we wanted to change that,” Chancellor said.

“When I came into the role I had an ambitious mindset but coming from AFL level I thought we would be able to change some things and I received some great support from the club.

Robbie Chancellor has stood down as Western Jets coach. Picture: Valeriu Campan

“We focused on building a club like culture where the players really wanted to be. We built a team that played for each other and it wasn’t about the individual accolades.

“The most important thing was everyone brought in from the players to the staff. It’s been an incredible couple of years despite all of the challenges we’ve faced.

“I feel like the club is in a better place now and I look forward to watching it grow.”

Chancellor and the Jets have managed to fit a lot into the past two years despite the challenges that came with the pandemic.

The 2022 NAB League girls side broke through for the first premiership in club history after beating the Dandenong Stingrays in the grand final.

From that side, Montana Ham was selected first in the AFLW Draft after committing to Sydney.

The Western Jets celebrated their first premiership this season. Photo: AFL Photos/Getty Images.

Premiership teammates Charlotte Baskaran and Laura Elliott (both Hawthorn) followed her into the top tier.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Sargent signed for Essendon as an open-age player.

In the boys team, Paul Curtis was drafted by North Melbourne last year while Cody Raak signed with the Western Bulldogs as a Category B rookie.

Massimo D’Ambrosio was taken by the Bombers in the 2022 AFL Mid-Season Draft.

The boys’ team played in an elimination final after scoring a remarkable Wildcard Round win.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve but it’s not just be,” Chancellor said.

“I’ve received a tremendous amount of support from everyone at the club. Our talent manager Luke Williams gave me a lot of backing when it came to trying to implement different things.

“But it was everyone from the assistant coaches to the volunteers, they helped build this. The last two years have been more of the exciting I’ve had in footy.”

The Western Jets played finals footy this year. Photo: AFL Photos.

Chancellor’s new role will see him work with the first to fourth year players at the Giants.

He’ll work closely with recently appointed senior coach Adam Kingsley who he worked with at St Kilda.

Chancellor has also spent time with Hawthorn and Melbourne.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” he said.

“I’ve learn a lot with the Jets, the experiences I’ve had with the club will hold me in good stead. I’ve got a great relationship with Adam, I think he’s going to make a great coach.”

GWS’ general manager of football Jason McCartney spoke highly of Chancellor following his appointment.

“He has a longstanding relationship with new coach Adam Kingsley and will be a valuable asset to our football program,” he said.

“Across recent months we identified a need to bolster our development program and we’re excited to have someone of the calibre of Robbie to add to this space, alongside our current development coaches.”

Chancellor will conclude his time with the Jets in coming days following player exit interviews.

He’ll then coach the Vic Metro under 18s side on Thursday.