Emerging Geelong forward Matt McCarthy is hoping to step up after an impressive 2003.

The club’s best first-year player at the Carji Greeves awards night described the recognition as a thrill and not something he was expecting heading into the evening.

“At the start of the year I hadn’t played a game, so to play 13 was good,” McCarthy said.

He hopes to build on what he has achieved, keep a level head and is keen for a role across half-forward in 2004.

“Just as long as I can keep improving, that’s all that I’ll try to do.”

Despite the accolade, McCarthy echoed the sentiments of many when he said 2003 was a ‘wasted year’.

“We didn’t really go on from last year whereas we thought we might have.”

“I don’t think we went backwards. We sort of levelled-out.”

“We were probably more consistent than last year. The scene is set for a good year next year.”

Geelong may have ended the season with only seven and-a-half wins, but was in the contest at the final change on at least nine further occasions, a statistic that left McCarthy frustrated and annoyed about wasted opportunities.

“It was just really annoying that we let ourselves down with bad a quarter. If we had won three or four of those games, you never know.”

“When you’re in so many games and you continue to lose... if we had won a few of them, who knows what might have been?”

But one time the team got it right - Geelong’s round-22 win over St Kilda – McCarthy rates as a highlight.

“Round 22 was important because they are seen as a young side full of prospects and they’ve said how they want to win couple of flags in the next few years.”

“It was good for us to prove to a few people that we’ve got a few young, good kids as well.”

“We’re going places as well.”