The former North Launceston under-18 coach and Old Scotch player informed the club last month that he did not wish to be considered for the role in 2019 despite some success this season.

The Suns ended the year in disappointing fashion but won four straight games between round eight and 11, including a shock win over flag fancy East Coast.

Manktelow said while it had been a tough decision to make, he believed a playing coach was the next step forward for the club which joined the NTFA in 2014.

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“I started out there to try and make the club a better club and one of my assessments of the club that would make it go better next year was some extra on-field leadership,” Manktelow said.

“They’ve got some good leaders out there as individuals, but probably still need a couple of extra players out there and I thought the best thing for the club was maybe to go out and find a playing coach.

“I’ve told the club that I’m happy to work with the new coach and talk to them about the positives and negatives of the past season.”

Manktelow said the squad had plenty of potential but needed an extra three or four talented players to challenge the top sides.

He also urged disgruntled players to not give up on the club’s mission.

“I hope that the playing group sticks together - they’re not that far off, we seem a long way off from where we finished on the ladder but they’re not actually that far off at all.

“Our results on the board as a person I find a bit hard to take because I’m a competitive person, but I’m also not a person who likes to give in, so my decision was quite hard because I believe in the path we’re going on.

“I came with the mantra of leaving the club in a better place - that’s up to others to decide whether I’ve done that.”

The Suns finished the season 4-12, 14 points shy of their best season in 2015.