DALE Cameron has been linked to Bendigo league coaching opportunities after his 2025 Boort assistant was handed the job for the Pies next season.
Cameron’s departure from Boort Park on Tuesday was described  by Magpies president Craig Scott as “a bit of a succession plan”.
Andrew Rutley, a former Boort best-and-fairest who as caretaker coach led the team to its biggest win in years when it beat dual reigning premiers Sea Lake Nandaly in round four this season, step permanently into the role for the next North Central season.
Cameron coached the team to the finals in his third year but missed rounds three and four with illness, leaving Rutley in charge of an eight-point win over Sea Lake following a 167-point demolition of Donald.
Those two wins saw the Magpies on top of the ladder and set them up to make the finals ahead of archrivals Wedderburn.
Rutley will have to manage without star mid-forward Jhye Baddeley-Kelly, who is leaving the club after two seasons in which he won the club best-and-fairest award and finished top-three in the league’s B&F count.
Scott said Cameron was behind Rutley’s appointment as his senior assistant this season.
“It was a bit of a succession plan to get Andrew in as assistant coach,” Scott said.
“Dale did the work there and we discussed Andrew coaching as an option going forward.
“Andrew had shown interest in coaching Boort at some stage, but we had extended Dale’s contract for another season after the initial two years.
“When the opportunity arose (to appoint Rutley) it worked out well for us.”
Rutley won Boort’s best-and-fairest award back in 2004 and returned to the club this season as an assistant coach, bringing with him sons Kane and Tyson.
Kane was named in the North Central Team of the Year after a fine first season with the Magpies.
Rutley also brought to the club recruits Carlos Egan and Peter Barbopoulos, who played key roles in Boort’s rise up the ladder this season.