The Magpies sit sixth at the halfway point of the 2019 Hampden league season - one game behind Port Fairy.

They are yet to beat a side above them on the ladder but remain upbeat as they build continuity with a young list.

Co-coach Neville Swayn said the Pies had blooded 10 new faces - five under 18.5 footballers and five recruits - in the first nine matches.

"We are averaging one a week," he said.

"It's a pretty big turnaround in personnel we have had and all the guys we've brought in are young.

"In one game we had 11 or 12 players 23 and under."

Camperdown has lost to top-placed North Warrnambool Eagles (76 points), second-placed Warrnambool (69 points), third-ranked Koroit (21 points), fourth-placed South Warrnambool (23 points) and fifth-placed Port Fairy (63 points).

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Swayn believes the Magpies have learned lessons from those encounters and would be better for the rematches in the second half of the season.

"It is in our hands (our finals chances), you don't want to get to a position where you're relying on other sides beating other sides," he said.

"We have to beat sides above us which we haven't done yet.

"Warrnambool, North and Port Fairy beat us comfortably, Koroit was a scrappy game but we were in it and the South Warrnambool game we were in it up to three-quarter-time and had all the play the first five minutes of the last quarter before they ran over the top of us."

Swayn said teenage debutants Zach Sinnott, Sidney Bradshaw, Angus Gordon, Toby Kent and Luke Ball would all play key roles in the Magpies' long-term future.

Will Lord, Pele Manivong, James Byrne, Bayley Thompson and Chris Dendle have also made their first appearances for the Magpies this season.

He believes the team needed time to settle and was now ready to challenge.

"We've said all along it would be gradual improvement this year with the young list we have got," Swayn said.

"We were not going to flick a switch and turn it around. There's heaps of improvement left in us.

"The next block of four weeks is really crucial."

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