McCartney takes on new coaching role

FORMER AFL coach Brendan McCartney has signed on as North Ballarat City’s head coach in the Ballarat Football League.

McCartney coached the Western Bulldogs in the AFL for 66 games from 2012-2014, and also held a development and strategy coaching role at Melbourne for the past five years.

McCartney, who signed a three-year deal with North Ballarat, coached Bellarine Football League club Ocean Grove to four premierships between 1994-1997 and worked at the Geelong Football Club as an assistant coach for 10 years from 2000-2010.

North Ballarat Football and Sports Club chief Scott Seward said McCartney was the perfect candidate for the club and he could not be happier to have the decorated football figure on board.

“We’re absolutely rapt. Everything we look for in a coach, Brendan is the perfect man.

“We identified Brendan as a potential option not knowing if he was available.

“Sometimes you need to get a bit lucky, the stars need to align, the timing was just right.

“Most importantly you need to align with the values for what we are looking for when taking on the role in our leadership program … Brendan has a very similar philosophy.”

“That was one of the key things that really attracted us to Brendan, he’s got a passion for learning, a passion for players, a passion for developing and a passion for people.

“We know how highly-thought of Brendan is by some highly-credentialed people in football … the impact he has everywhere he goes, we’re incredibly humbled that he wants to be a part of what we’re trying to achieve.”

After playing finals in 2018, North Ballarat City finished seventh on the Ballarat Football League senior ladder while the reserves finished ninth.

Seward understood the was in a stage of development, which further enhanced McCartney’s appeal given his widely acknowledged ability to work closely with young players and get the best out of their ability.

“We’re looking for juniors to step up and play senior football … historically, our success in the local league has come when we’ve had a lot of local players in the team. We want to develop our own players.”

While much of McCartney’s role will be to steer the club’s on-field fortunes in the right direction, he will also have a strong influence in the off-field development.

Seward said McCartney would also be a mentor to other coaches, both football and netball, and play an active role in passing on his knowledge to fellow North Ballarat coaches.