His role for the next two years will be as a strategy and development coach, but in reality, he is there to mentor Simon Goodwin when he takes over as senior coach in 2016.

 

It is not often that we use the words "Melbourne" and "nailed it" in the same sentence, but the Demons have picked the right person to bring into the club for the next few years.

 

McCartney has this development coach caper nailed. His role in the rise of Geelong in the mid '00s was critical. There was a 'Geelong' way of doing things at the time and McCartney had a massive influence over that.

 

By 2010 he was the AFLCA's assistant coach of the year and a big job as head of development at the Cats beckoned.

 

But McCartney wasn't ready to be pigeonholed as purely a development coach, at least not yet. He had ambitions to become a senior coach and 12 months as an assistant under James Hird at Essendon in 2011 paved the way for his surprise appointment as the senior coach at the Western Bulldogs the following year.

 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained for McCartney. He is to be commended for striving to break the 'development coach' mould, but now that he has returned, the Demons could not have chosen any better.

 

By nominating Goodwin as his successor at Melbourne and by bringing in McCartney, Roos has started to dilute a coaching panel that with one exception (Jade Rawlings) had played for or worked with him at the Swans.

 

Goodwin and McCartney worked together at Essendon for a year in 2011, but this was more a case of the Demons reaching out and grabbing someone because he was the best person available.

 

Which is how the best clubs do it. Alastair Clarkson surrounded himself with friends and allies when he first took the Hawthorn job in 2005 but some of his key hires since have been 'best available' types. Brett Ratten, chewed up and spat out by Carlton as senior coach had no history with Clarkson but was quickly sought out to join the Hawks, where he has been part of two premierships in as many seasons.

 

Clarkson wasn't afraid to hire someone who had walked in his shoes. Clarkson enjoys being challenged and prefers a collaborative approach. It helps explain why the Hawks barely skipped a beat in the five matches Clarkson missed through illness this year.

 

Geelong did the same with Matthew Knights at Geelong. His reputation took a beating towards the end of his time at Essendon, but let's face it, Knights was on a hiding to nothing at the Bombers.

 

As David Moyes found when he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager, you don't want to be the person replacing the legend at a football club. You want to be the person who replaces the person who replaced the legend.

 

Heaven help anyone who tried to replace Kevin Sheedy at Essendon, but Knights has found his groove at Geelong in the development/VFL role and his stature in football has grown once more to the point where you would never discount his chances of coaching at senior level once more.

 

Ken Hinkley's decision to install Michael Voss as his so-called midfield manager is another case in point. Port is emerging as a destination club on and off the ground, but rather than see the decorated and experienced Voss as a threat, Power coach Ken Hinkley couldn't wait to have him on board.

 

It's smart thinking by the good clubs. In this age of player empowerment, players demand the best coaching and development environments and they'll make it known when things are less than satisfactory in that regards.

 

Melbourne players, like their counterparts at the Hawks, the Power and the Cats, will have few cause for complaints in 2015.