Brendan McCartney is the senior coach of the Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 in the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (AFL). McCartney was a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 player who played in the Geelong Football League

Geelong Football League

The Geelong Football League is an Australian rules football league in Victoria, Australia. It is the highest quality league in the Geelong area, with numerous former AFL players playing for various clubs.-History:...

. Similar to Neil Craig

Neil Craig

Neil P. Craig is a former Australian rules footballer, fitness adviser and former coach of the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League . As of 2012, he will be based in a new role as the Director of Sports Performance at the Melbourne Football Club...

, McCartney has no experience as a professional AFL player.

Playing Career

In his playing days, Brendan McCartney played in the Geelong Football League for the Newton Football Club.

Coaching Career

After his retirement from Australian Rules Football as a player, McCartney was appointed the head coach of the Ocean Grove Football Club

Ocean Grove Football Club

The Ocean Grove Football Club is an Australian rules football club that plays in the Bellarine Football League and situated in the town of Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia.- History :...

. He guided the football club to four consecutive Bellarine Football League

Bellarine Football League

The Bellarine Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Bellarine Peninsula region of Victoria, Australia, formed in 1971.Six of the eight founding clubs played in the Polwarth Football league the year before....

 premierships in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. In 1998, he took a role with AFL club Richmond

Richmond Football Club

The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...

 as assistant and development coach.

From 2000 to 2010, McCartney was an assistant coach with Geelong Football Club

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

, before moving to be the forward line coach at Essendon

Essendon Football Club

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 in 2011. In 2010, McCartney was voted the AFL's assistant coach of the year by the AFL Coaches' Association.

Shortly after the completion of the 2011 AFL season

2011 AFL season

The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...

, McCartney was appointed as the new head coach of the Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 under a three year contract, replacing the sacked Rodney Eade

Rodney Eade

Rodney "Rocket" Eade is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...

, edging out favourite and former Bulldog Leon Cameron

Leon Cameron

Leon Cameron is a former Australian rules footballer, who played in the Australian Football League .Cameron was the 7th selection in the 1988 National Draft for the Footscray Football Club...

as well as a "high quality field".
He took the Western Bulldogs for their training session for the first time on November 7, 2011.