Recruit's path from remote cattle station to Western District farm

The Lucindale-raised, Adelaide-schooled farmer just loves working on the land.

His time up north featured days on sun-scorched earth and now he's preparing for a muddy, wet south-west Victorian winter after accepting a role on a Yambuk property.

The move has also allowed him to jump back into another passion - football.

McCarthy, 24, has relaunched his career with Hampden league club Warrnambool, impressing on debut in the Blues' round one loss to Koroit.

"I was up on a cattle station last year in the Northern Territory so I missed my footy a bit and was itching to get back into it," he said.

McCarthy said his 12-month stint in Northern Territory was eye-opening.

"I think it was about two-and-a-half hours to the closest town but I think there was about 30 people at the station, all young fellas so it was pretty fun, the social side," he said.

"It was really humid at the start and end of the year. The mornings were nice but she'd come in pretty hot at midday, upwards of 40-odd (degrees)."

He grew up on a property at Lucindale and played football for the town's side in the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara league.

"I went up to Adelaide for boarding school at Rostrevor College and ended up playing for Old Collegians in the amateur league after school for a couple of years," McCarthy, who is a distant cousin to Brisbane footballer Lincoln, said.

"It is a similar standard of footy to Hampden league."

McCarthy enjoyed a gap year on his family's farm before starting an agricultural course at university in Adelaide.

"The city wasn't for me," he said.

He's moved for work to various parts of Australia to gain experience and is enjoying his time at Yambuk.

Football provides a social outlet but he suspects there will be work on some Saturday mornings throughout the season.

"Through lambing and calving I will probably keep an eye on things in the morning and then head into footy and be back for Sunday morning if there's a (club) function on," McCarthy said.

He hopes to make a home for himself in Warrnambool's defence, either playing in the back pocket or across half-back.

"It is where I have always played my senior footy," McCarthy said.

"I like to shut down the opposition first and try and attack after that, take the game on a bit if I can."

Warrnambool plays Port Fairy at Gardens Oval in round two on Saturday, April 13.