CONCERN that he wasn't on the "same page" as the Newcastle Knights' hierarchy, combined with a family tragedy that prompted him to reassess his priorities, led to Garth Brennan's shock resignation last week as the club's pathways manager.
Brennan accepted the pathways role last September after being approached by Knights CEO Phil Gardner.
A born-and-bred Novocastrian who played for many years in the Newcastle Rugby League competition, Brennan appeared the perfect man for the job after an extensive coaching career, culminating in a two-year stint at the helm of Gold Coast Titans.
At the time of Brennan's appointment, Gardner declared he would be "a tremendous asset for the club moving forward".
Nine months later, the Knights are searching for a replacement after Brennan's decision to hand in his resignation and return to a job in real estate.
The 50-year-old insisted there were no hard feelings and wished the Knights well.
"I love the club. I want the club to be successful," Brennan told the Newcastle Herald.
"I went in there with all good intentions of building some structures and pathways that would hopefully allow the club to have some long-term success.
"But it takes time. It's not a quick fix.
"Over the last couple of weeks, I had some discussions with the club about how the pathways and structures should look.
"I just felt I wanted to do it my way, and if we weren't on the same page, we were better off going our separate ways.
"For it to be successful, everyone needs to be on the same page.
"There needs to be agreement about how things should be done.
"If there are any doubts or questions, then it's probably not going to work."
Brennan also revealed the recent death of his father Kevin, at the age of 80, was a reminder that he needed to put his young family first.
After launching his coaching career in Newcastle's junior system, Garth spent six years with Penrith, steering the Panthers to under-20 and NSW Cup premierships.
During that time he commuted from his home in Stockton to the foot of the Blue Mountains, regularly staying overnight in Penrith.
He then relocated his family to the Gold Coast after securing the Titans job.
After accepting the pathways role with Newcastle, which also incorporates their women's teams as well as the men, he started to realise football was again becoming all-encompassing.
"It is a massive job," he said.
"The club want someone who's committed to it 24-7 and the demands of the job were starting to take a toll.
"In the past, my family probably has gone on the backburner because of football, and I'm not in a position where I'm willing to do that any more.
"With my dad passing away within the last few weeks, it probably rammed home to me how important family is.
"It made me think about what's important in life, and I came to the realisation that I want to spend more time with my wife and my kids."
Brennan has not ruled out future involvement in rugby league.
"I still love the game, and if anyone needs some help, I'm always available," he said.
