Agresta took Hanwood to the Pascoe Cup premiership in 2019, in their first season back in the competition, and fell just short of back-to-back titles this year.

The extra-time grand final loss to Leeton United was Agresta's final game in charge as he looks to step back and take some time away after being heavily involved at Hanwood for the past decade.

"The last two years I was coaching, before that I was president for a couple of years and even then, we were in limbo there for a while with competitions trying our best to get into Football Wagga and that was pretty energy-sapping," Agresta explained.

"I'm just at that stage now where I needed a bit of a break. I'm still going to be involved in the club and still be around. I said to the boys, I'm still happy to help out but day-to-day it takes a bit of a toll."

Agresta has now completed his third stint as Hanwood coach after leading the club previously in 2008 and 2011-15.

His latest reign oversaw Hanwood's successful shift back to the Football Wagga competition and he believes it is a move that has well and truly paid off.

"Just from our point of view, it's just given our guys some competition," he said.

"Week in and week out competition, before you could write off it was going to be Hanwood and Yoogali in the grand final before the season even kicked off. Where you can see now, week to week you've got to be on your game.

"It makes it more enjoyable and not only that, from a club point of view this year, having our third grade team, and they were all young kids, giving them somewhere to play was great because around here for the last four or five years, from under 12s up it's really fallen away, unless they are playing in the NPL, which there is only limited numbers. It just gives them nothing to play.

"So even from that point of view, it's been fantastic and we've really enjoyed it. Obviously we're there to stay now, we're not going anywhere."

While falling one win short of back-to-back titles this year, Agresta was still satisfied with his team's performance.

He leaves the job proud of what he has achieved in the past two seasons.

"It was a bit of a difference in comparison. Last year we hit the ground running, we were the front-runners and we probably the favourites all year," he said.

"Not disrespecting either team, but I think the way things were this year and the amount of players we lost, had we have won it, I think it would have probably been one of the best ones I've been involved in. Just to make it and get where we did with the amount of players we lost was still a good achievement.

"From a coaching and club point of view, this year we saw the emergence of some of the younger guys. Seeing guys like Michael Cimador and Jayden Gatto, he's only turning 18 now, Chaise Donetto, he's only 16, coming on in a grand final, so just being apart of that, for me, and seeing the next generation coming through it's good to see because I was that kid once upon a time."

Hanwood have begun advertising for Agresta's replacement, as well as reserve and third grade men's coaches.

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