



BRENDAN McCartney remains steadfast in his belief that he could have pieced the Western Bulldogs' fractured playing group back together, if it wasn't for captain Ryan Griffen's walkout.





McCartney broke his silence on Saturday, a day after he resigned as the Dogs' senior coach.





The 53-year-old tendered his resignation following weeks of rumblings of discontent emanating from the Whitten Oval, provoked by an unsatisfactory 7-15 win-loss record in 2014 and some harsh end-of-season player reviews.





McCartney was publicly backed to remain coach by the Bulldogs hierarchy, before Griffen dropped a bombshell when he formally asked to be traded to Greater Western Sydney on Thursday.





"I think Ryan making the decision to leave, I think that probably stirred the hornet's nest up a little bit," McCartney told ABC Grandstand.





"But that's footy. I've probably got to a stage where you get on with the rest of your life now and know that you've done your best.





"(I’ve) done a fair bit right, got a bit wrong… like most coaches I think.





"Someone else gets a chance to really work with a very promising group."









McCartney said he sensed Griffen wanted out shortly after the Dogs' campaign ended on a low note in a six-point loss to GWS in round 23.





He still admitted to some surprise as he listened to list manager Jason McCartney receive the phone call from Griffen's management telling the Dogs the skipper wanted to leave.





"It makes you feel a little crook in the stomach when you hear that. It set the wheels in motion and we arrive where we are today," he said.





McCartney admitted he might have put some players offside by lifting his expectations too quickly mid-season and by focusing too much on developing the Dogs' younger brigade.





Bulldogs president Peter Gordon cited communication issues between the coach and the playing group as a major reason for McCartney's resignation.





But prior to Griffen's bombshell, McCartney believed he would have been able to bring the playing group back together.





"I thought we could have chipped away at it," he said.





"I felt it could have been restructuring the footy department and freeing me up more.





"There is a real lesson in this for every footy club that every senior coach does less and less coaching than ever now. Less opportunity to work one-on-one and build relationships with players.





"It's even more important that that's in play, because the really simple rule is if you're not winning games, people will find something wrong with you.





"I've got no doubt we could have worked through a lot of things, but I respect decisions that have been made and I would like people to respect the decision that I've made."





McCartney ends his three-season tenure with a 20-46 record and he admitted to feeling unfilled leaving the kennel.





"A little. Not in a bitter way. I had my chance and didn’t take it and I understand that," he said.





"I'm really optimistic for the club. They're going to be an exciting team.





"They just need a little bit of finish around them now and some more youngsters coming in and they'll be just fine."