Former Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney believes he could have worked with the club to re-establish a better player-coach relationship.

McCartney’s resignation was officially announced by the Bulldogs yesterday, with club president Peter Gordon citing communication issues between McCartney and the playing group as a key reason for the coach’s resignation.

But McCartney told Grandstand’s Gerard Whateley he did not feel the relationship was beyond repair.

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“I thought we could have chipped away at it. I thought (we) could have (restructured) the footy department,” he said.

“There is a real lesson in this for every footy club the senior coach does less coaching than ever now and has less opportunities to work one on one and build relationships with players.

“And that’s even more important that that’s in play when clubs aren’t winning as often as they’d like, 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 the decisions that have been made and I hope people will respect the decision I’ve made.”

Despite his insistence that the situation was not irreparable, he said he no longer knew where he stood with the group and felt he should simply get out of the way to allow the club to move forward.

The writing appeared on the wall for McCartney when club captain Ryan Griffen announced his intentions to leave and, according to McCartney, that “stirred up the hornet’s nest a bit”.

“It makes you feel a little crook in the stomach when you hear that,” McCartney said.

“Then (that) set the wheels in motion and we arrive at where we are today.”

But Griffen’s decision was not a complete surprise for the third-year coach, who said he heard about it within three weeks of the Bulldogs’ season ending.

“You talk to your list manager and your recruiting people and people that are mixing with other clubs and you get a little inkling that things may be unfolding around you,” he said.

“Often the coach is the last one to find out, Gerard. More often than not.”

He wished the club all the best in the future and said whoever takes the reins will get “a chance to work with a very promising group”.

“I’m really optimistic for the club,” he said.

“They’re going to be an exciting club, they just need a little more polish around them now.”