Steamers assistant calls time, citing ITM Cup schedule

The condensed nature of this year's ITM Cup provincial competition, with the Steamers playing 10 round-robin games in seven weeks to fit in before the Rugby World Cup, has forced the end of former Bay of Plenty player Steve Miln's reign as assistant coach.
Miln has quit the Steamers after buying a 95-hectare dairy farm at Pongakawa last year, unable to give his full commitment to the ITM Cup competition.
Miln, who played 30 games for Bay of Plenty before a decade-and-a-half playing in Japan, bought the farm last year and takes over the 250-strong dairy herd in a few weeks.
"I was waiting since buying the farm (last October) for this season's draw to come out to work back from there, and as the draw got closer it looked as though a shortened ITM Cup was going to be better from my perspective than the longer draw.
"But when the draw was released, which showed the window between games was virtually non-existent, it was obvious then that something had to give.
"The Steamers need everyone to be on board from the word go. The longer version might have been more workable because occasionally there'd be three to four days off to spend time on the farm, but dropping (wife) Maria off and then taking off for a couple of months wouldn't have been a great look."
Head coach Sean Horan said it was a tough decision Miln had made. "This was going to be Milny and my third year together with the Steamers and we were looking forward to this season being the icing on the cake after a couple of tough years, but Milny decided that if he couldn't focus all his attention on the Bay for the ITM Cup then he wouldn't do it, which I respect him for.
"Apart from the fact we're good friends, compatibility has been a big part of our time - good cop/bad cop, the happy one (Miln) and the grumpy one - his leaving will be a big loss because he really has been the glue that's held everything together."
Horan expected a new assistant coach would be unveiled in the next couple of weeks, with technical adviser Paul Feeney, former All Black Adrian Cashmore and former Bay and Chiefs first-five Glen Jackson rumoured to be contenders for the vacancy.
"We've got someone in mind but I'm keen to replicate last year's set-up, where we had Milny, myself and Paul working together as three," Horan said. "Cashy's got a new business as well so it'll be hard for him, and it could be a conflict of interest with Jacko being an ITM Cup ref, but we're working to pull it all together."
Miln leaves feeling Bay of Plenty are about to hit prosperous times, which hasn't always been the case during his four-year involvement which started back in 2007 under Kevin Schuler.
"Sean's got a group of guys together who've matured and are contenders. He runs a professional ship and tells it like it is and I leave confident the Bay can get better without me."
Highlights included the five-game winning start to the season in 2008, the elevation of Tanerau Latimer and Mike Delany into the All Blacks and qualifying last season for the 2011 top flight.
"Players from here have grown and have earned a high reputation around the country, and I've loved that from that Ranfurly Shield-winning team in 2004, and the subsequent lull for a couple of years combined with tough financial times, we've managed to build a bit of consistency around this side, although coaching is a rollercoaster and I'm looking forward to my blood pressure being a bit more stable outside the coaching box.
"I'm just a cog on the wheel though and one thing you could say about me is that I've never had the ability to over-coach a side. To me it's all about guys playing rugby, enjoying themselves, wearing the jersey with pride and making the fans proud.
"Ambition-wise I've never aspired to anything higher - I was happy to come back from Japan, live in the area, let my kids grow up here and do my bit for the Bay. I leave with no regrets."