North Ballarat coach Brendan McCartney loving return to country football

Gone are the nights spent analysing game footage to the finest detail. No longer does he have to toil until the early hours to prepare for the next morning's meeting.

Now, if North Ballarat wins a game, he can have a beer, relax and soak it in with the supporters of the club he now calls home.

"The AFL is a wonderful institution, and it was brilliant to be part of it. But it has its drawbacks with time and the day-the-day rigour of sport at that level," McCartney said.

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"You probably don't realise what it takes out of you and the impact it has on you until you step away.

"In some ways, it was probably good to have a quieter year last year.

"But (it's great) being back and just being able to stop and have a beer after a game and talk to people instead of whipping off home and opening your computer to watch the game back and be ready for a meeting at 8am the next morning.

"We can take our time and hopefully enjoy some wins together and get together and chew through one or two losses.

McCartney coached the Western Bulldogs for three years and spent two decades in the AFL system.

The premiership-winning Geelong assistant coach is in the first season of a three-year deal with North Ballarat.

It is the first time McCartney is back at the helm of a community sports club since he coached Ocean Grove to four-straight Bellarine Football League premierships from 1994 to 1997.

"It's terrific. I've missed community football, to be honest," he said.

"I'm just getting to know the players too. They're all different people. They're all from different backgrounds, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses too.

"In the end, as a coach, I've always been fiercely protective of my players, and these boys are no different."

McCartney praised his group's efforts in pre-season though noted it was a change from the elite level.

"The difference between football at community level and the AFL level is the availability of players," he said.

"They all have different occupations and families and play a multitude of sports. Some blokes play cricket, tennis, football and basketball and try and squeeze it all in at different times. That's been an interesting aspect."

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While the 60-year-old held high hopes for the Roosters' on-field performances, he stressed player development was equally important.

"We're really keen to develop what we call North Ballarat people. We want competitive people, who are resilient and work hard and keep their feet on the ground," he said.

"We want that filtered down through our juniors. We want them to understand it's not so much how talented you are or how capable you are with the ball or your ability to kick a goal or whatever.

"It's about how hard you work and what sort of teammate you are."

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