LENNY Hayes has ruled out coaching in 2015 and is yet to decide if he will pursue it as a career path at all after retiring from St Kilda this season.
The 34-year-old called it quits after 297 AFL games and a decorated career that included three club best and fairests, the 2010 Norm Smith medal and three All Australian guernseys.
Despite completing a number of coaching courses, Hayes isn't sure if it's something he wants to do after a season out of the game.
"I've decided I probably won't go to a club to coach [next year]," Hayes told AFL.com.au on Wednesday.
"I'm not even sure if it will be a career path for me.
"At this time, I'm not too sure whether I'm cut out for it at this point.
"I know how intense it is and I'm just going to go down a different path at this point in time.
"That's not to say I'll never go back to coaching but not for the next 12 months."
A role in football administration is something that potentially interests Hayes down the track but a full-time media career isn't on the agenda.
He will soon decide on what he will look to do "9-5, Monday to Friday" next year after letting the dust settle on his illustrious career.
"I've played football for the last 16 years so now it's time to go out and learn a different skills set and put a few things in place so that maybe in 10 years time I might be a footy manager or in another role at a footy club," he said.
"In the next couple of weeks I'll make a decision on what I'm going to do full time."
Retirement rests easy with him now after a long farewell tour that started after he announced his decision in July.
He said the fact he was still physically recovering from the season emphasised that he made the right call.
"Everything I looked at, it was all pointing towards it being the right time," he said.
"I actually had a running race against a 12-year-old girl last week and she beat me so it was probably time to hang up the boots when you're getting beaten by a 12-year-old girl.
"It does sit comfortably with me and I knew the time was right."
Hayes said he was interested in playing country football like former teammate Stephen Milne succeeded in doing this year, but had to see if his body would allow him to first.
Milne recently kicked six goals on the way to Strathfieldsaye's first premiership in the Bendigo league, and won the club's best and fairest.
"It is something that interests me but I'll have to wait and see," Hayes said.
"I'm still recovering from the season but I'll wait and see how I feel in a month or two."
Hayes is currently promoting his book, Lenny: My Story, which will be released on October 1 and reflects on his career and devastating Grand Final losses.
