AFL stars such as Jeremy Cameron, Brad and Matt Crouch, Hugh McCluggage and Jacob Hopper, among others, came and went, the program now one of the NAB League's strongest.

Following his step away from the role, the door has opened for Brooke Brown to take the job as regional talent operations lead and take the boys' and girls' programs into the future.

She will be welcomed back to Mars Stadium by two former colleagues, Damian Ross and coach David Loader.

Ross took on the role vacated by Partington in an interim facet during the second-half of this season, helping the Rebels boys through to the end of the season and assisting in Brown's transition once she was appointed.

Loader said Ross was superb in the role.

"There'e been a massive amount of stuff that Rossy's put in place in the last six months on the back of obviously the magnificent work that Parto had done for 16 years," he said.

"Rossy has been a great support, his first question was always 'what do you need?'"

With Brown now appointed, Loader can't wait to get to work.

"Looking forward to her coming in and being a really added addition to support what's in place with our program," he said.

It's been quite the journey for Brown in footy circles, but she is excited to be back at the Rebels where her elite talent pathway journey began.

"I'm so excited to be back ... they gave me my start in the elite pathways programs," she said.

"To first come in as a statistician way back when and then as a team manager and well-being manager, to be able to come back and give back to the community that got me my first start in the program, I'm really excited to be able to do that."

Having been involved with the Rebels when Partington was in charge and having led the Bendigo Pioneers in the same role in 2021, Brown is looking forward to taking the Rebels' program forward.

"It's daunting because I know the level that Parto has had in the region, but I'm excited about the prospect of developing the next Hugh McCluggage, the next Jarrod Berry, the next Tom McDonald, the next Kaitlyn Ashmore," she said.

"I guess I had to be my own leader (in Bendigo) and be my own person, to be able to go away and do that outside the Rebels' program has really been beneficial for me again both personally and professionally.

"I think I needed that year to get out and experience what the program but also the role was about, in order to be a better leader and be able to develop the region better in the future."

Loader said for Brown to experience a different program will be beneficial once she comes back to the Rebels, a program and region she is accustomed to.

"It's going to be a great opportunity for Brooke when she comes back to look at a different program, every region's so very, very different," he said.

"To get a little bit of experience up at Bendigo for a start and have a look at how those things run ... and then to come back to a program that she was involved with for a fair period of time, will be great for her."

Brown began her footy journey watching her brother Leigh play for Waubra and taking his stats because in her words "things weren't going all that smoothly" and she was looking for something to do.

Then Roos' coach Shane Skontra invited her into the senior group as a statistician, an offer she took up.

When Skontra went to the North Ballarat Rebels, Brown followed, becoming the side's statistician.

She left to live and teach in London for two years, before returning to Ballarat to teach at St Patrick's College and become the Rebels team manager.

Her Rebels tenure then included a stint as an intern welfare manager, before she applied for and was offered a job at AFL House in well-being full-time.

A re-structure took place during the COVID-19 affected 2020 year and the job was lost, opening the door for Brown to head to Bendigo and take over the Pioneers' program.

Now she is back at the Rebels, ready to attack the 2022 campaign alongside Loader, or Deeks, as he is commonly known around Ballarat.

"Deeks and I have had a long association, a lot of laughs, really excited to work with Deeks, really excited to work with a lot of the staff that I've known for a long time," she said.

"It's going to feel like home again, that's for sure, I can't wait to come back into the change rooms and see everyone.

"Deeks is an outstanding coach, he has been an outstanding mentor to me, he's been a friendly ear, he's probably picked me up when I needed to be picked up and I can't thank him enough for his mentoring over the course of the last 10 years."