NFL 2018: Whittlesea coach Jim Atkins to step down at end of Northern Football League Division 1 season

WHITTLESEA coach Jim Atkins says it is “the right time” to move on and will step down at the end of the Northern Football League season due to family commitments.

WHITTLESEA coach Jim Atkins will step down at the end of the Northern Football League season due to family commitments.

Atkins, who was an assistant to Eagles premiership mentor Brad Dean before being promoted to the top job in 2016, told club officials and players of his decision on Thursday night.

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His wife is due to give birth to their third child in January.

“Three kids under four, which makes it pretty hard to coach senior football,” Atkins said.

Atkins has been in charge of Whittlesea for three years, steering the club to safety in Division 1 for two consecutive seasons.

But the Eagles face a battle to hold their place in the top tier beyond this year, struggling at the bottom of the ladder with five rounds to play.

Whittlesea coach Jim Atkins will step down at the end of 2018 Picture: Josie Hayden.

He said after six years at the club where he was a player before joining the coaching staff, it was
“the right time” to move on.

“We are a pretty determined group,” Atkins said.

“We’ve had backs up against the wall pretty much our whole time in Division 1. We shown before we can push through that.”

Whittlesea has an 11-37 win-loss record during Atkins’ tenure after he took over after its return to Division 1.

The Eagles face the other side in relegation danger — Hurstbridge — in Round 18.

But Whittlesea must achieve at least one more win before then due to the significant percentage gap between the teams to remain a chance of being safe.

“We haven’t found the form that has shown in the last couple of years, you can see that by our results,” Atkins said.

“Probably not just because of the losses, but we have had a few bigger losses than previous years.”

Riley Dyson charges forward for Whittlesea in last weekend’s loss to Northcote Park.

The Eagles have been robbed of several key players by injury and suspension, hampering their efforts to climb clear of the drop zone.

Best and fairest Jai Robinson has only featured in four games due a quad injury, broken thumb and suspension, while Andrew Fairchild (three games), Luke Deards (six) and Janan Daniel (six) have had minimal impact.

“Once again, we find ourselves in the same situation we have for the last two years,” Atkins said.

“But we are all keen to keep pushing forward and we will see what happens by the end of it.”

Whittlesea takes on Montmorency on Saturday.