Zac Merritt confirms he will step back as St Pat's Peter McDonald Premiership coach but will stay with Saints

Merritt has confirmed that he will not be reapplying for the coaching role which was recently advertised by the Saints, ending his four-year run at the helm of the top grade team.

However, the step back from the top job doesn't mean Merritt will be looking elsewhere to play his rugby league in 2024 and beyond.

After establishing himself in Bathurst and enjoying his time as a part of the Saints community Merritt said that he couldn't imagine himself playing anywhere else.

"I wouldn't go anywhere else. Pat's is home for me," he said.

"If I do play it will definitely be with them. My daughter is in school here and after what Pat's have done for me over the last few years I want to repay them. Plus, I'm getting a bit long in the tooth.

"I think it'd be disrespectful to leave considering what they've given me."

One thing that Merritt will continue to consider over the off-season is whether he'll still lace up the boots next season.

"I don't want to go making any rash decisions, and I'm happy just poking along at the moment," he said.

"I want to kick back and have a bit of time to myself and then make a decision as pre-season comes up."

Merritt made his return to the Saints in 2018 from the Forbes Magpies and made an immediate impact in the pack.

While the Saints struggled in his first few years back with the club he remained one of the most consistent players among a team failing to gain a foothold in Group 10 finals.

Prior to the 2020 season he was named as the team's new player-coach, becoming the third person in three seasons to hold the role (Greg Behan in 2018 and Luke Branighan in 2019).

Merritt was marked as a strong candidate for the role after guiding the Magpies to the 2016 Group 11 premiership.

He made a big breakthrough in last year's inaugural Peter McDonald Premiership season by ending the Saints' six-year wait for a return to top grade finals football.

Pat's made the finals series in both PMP seasons where Merritt oversaw the side but failed to get past the opening week on each occasion.

Merritt said the time was right to step back from the top job, but loved his time in the role.

"I definitely won't be coaching next year. I've been there for a few years now and I think that the boys can use a new voice," he said.

"It's been a big few years for me coaching and that takes its toll.

"It's been awesome though. It was a little bit unfortunate for us this year because I thought we had a team that was at least capable of making the grand final but injury after injury hurt us.

"In the future I'd definitely love to coach again but just need some time away from that to give back to myself."