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It's been a perfect start to life in the Ballarat Football Netball League for Brendan McCartney. Still, the former Western Bulldogs coach has been in football long enough to be wary of getting carried away by early-season results.
McCartney's North Ballarat prevailed in a see-sawing affair against Redan at the weekend; three goals apiece to Harry Loader and debutant Jamie Quick laying the foundations for the 13.15 (93) to 11.9 (75) win.
Saturday was the first time McCartney was back at the helm of a community club since leaving Ocean Grove for the AFL system in 1997.
"It was good fun coaching. It gets you back into it pretty quickly," he said.
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"You're having to make decisions on the run and decide how the midfield should look, who's playing on who and talking to players when they're wound up in a game and just helping them come back into the moment.
"It was good fun. We've got a good coaching group, there's a lot of experience there, and we're all pretty down to earth blokes, so we all get along.
"We've all been in footy a long time, so we really enjoy working with young men who want to listen and learn. It's really refreshing."
McCartney has signalled he wants to promote the youth in the club, and his round one line-up was perhaps the best signal of intent.
Six Roosters were handed their senior debuts on the weekend: Jamie Quick, Darcy McEldrew, Ryan Polkinghorne, Jarrod Curran, Ned Nash and Jonathan O'Brien.
McCartney said it was nice to be back in the country football environment, with the star showings of his young troops adding an extra element to the celebrations.
"There was a good feeling in the rooms (after the win), for sure," McCartney said.
"It was nice to have a few parents back as well.
"Like every club, you have those older-time supporters who have lived and breathed the club there on match-day.
"You've got people who work voluntarily for the club and young juniors watching with their parents and families. It's great to be a part of."
On the field, McCartney has pinpointed areas for improvement before his side hosts a red-hot Ballarat on Saturday night.
"In the season, the teams that keep improving are generally the ones that finish near the top," he said.
"The key to is to identify not too many things, but just one or two and chip away at them.
"For us, it's probably capitalising on our opportunities when we've got the ball."
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