It was once a prized commodity in country football; a two-for-one deal which appealed to clubs seeking star power on the field and a leader off it.

But as the competition's professionalism has risen, so too has pressure on those in the hot seat with more value placed on non-playing mentors.

Winis Imbi's appointment at Port Fairy on Thursday means 10 of the 11 coaches - Camperdown is going with a co-coach set-up for a second consecutive season - will be non-playing in season 2020.

Four clubs picked new leaders for next year. All four - Port Fairy, Terang Mortlake (Ben Kenna), Hamilton Kangaroos (Gerard FitzGerald) and Portland (Jarrod Holt) - went for sideline leaders.

Nine of the past 12 Hampden league premiership coaches led in a non-playing capacity.

In the past 10 seasons only three-time Koroit premiership coach Chris McLaren has taken his team to a flag while playing.

That was in 2017. His next two came in retirement.

So what is the best option?

Ideally a club should appoint the best candidate - playing or non-playing. It's not a one-size-fits-all policy.

But the appeal of a playing coach has dimmed somewhat. Mostly because it's too hard to do it all.

Concentrate on coaching and their own game suffers. Concentrate on playing and the team can lose its way.

Many playing coaches remark they lead better when injured and they're forced to direct from the bench.

The non-playing mentor doesn't have his own training and playing commitments to worry about.

Injury is not a possibility and form fluctuations a non-factor.

Their sole focus is the team. And getting the best out of every individual on the list.

They can devote more time to the game plan and one-on-one conversations with players.

Coaching is not for the faint-hearted. Nor is it something people can sign on for without being fully committed.

Next year most Hampden league mentors will instruct from the bench but their impact will be evident on the field.

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