The developing Dogs again showed their promise by controlling large parts of their 38-point loss to Fremantle on Sunday.
They just couldn't make it count on the scoreboard.
RECAP: Match report and highlights from the Western Bulldogs' loss to Fremantle.
The Bulldogs' 6.15 (51) was their lowest-ever score against the Dockers despite their dominant inside 50m count (67-41).
McCartney was "pretty proud" of the Dogs' fighting effort, but conceded the low crowd of 14,913 might point to growing frustration at the Dogs' inability to take a big scalp.
The Bulldogs' three wins this season have come against Richmond, GWS and Melbourne.
"Weather, the West Gate [Brige] was shut, wasn't it? Mitigating circumstances," McCartney initially offered as reasons for the small turnout at Etihad Stadium.
“[And] yeah, I'm sure there's some impatience outside our club. We're impatient, too.
"We pick a team each week based around giving [ourselves] the best chance we have of winning.
“[We’re trying to] still develop a lot of really talented young players that are on our list.
"We saw some of them today [and] what they're going to become for a long time, because they're all 18 or 19 [years old] those boys.
"So there's a good nine-to-11 years of really good, top-notch footy in front of them yet."
With captain Ryan Griffen (10 disposals) expertly shutdown by master stopper Ryan Crowley, it was many of the new breed who stepped up.
Tom Liberatore, 22, was outstanding in the clinches and finished with 31 touches – 18 contested – and nine clearances.
Jack Macrae gathered 29 possessions and another 21-year-old, Mitch Wallis, restricted budding superstar Nat Fyfe to just 14 touches.
"Sometimes by trying something you actually find something. We put Mitch out of the team four or five weeks ago and he's rebounded really strongly," McCartney said.
"And he's come back at a higher level of intensity and commitment to his job than he went out with.
"Christian Howard's the same. He's been around a while now and had a lot of injuries, but he's starting to buckle down and build a career.
"It's quite clear we're a very even club … we need everyone just doing their little bit."
McCartney rued the missed opportunities that saw the Dogs outscored by 38 points, despite having only three less scoring shots.
"It felt like we were hanging on all day and that tends to happen when you play really good footy teams and we played one today," he said.
"Unfortunately against a team like Freo if you don't take your opportunities they're attacking pretty quickly straight away.
"We're a work in progress. There's a part of our offensive play that is getting better inch-by-inch and will make us a little more dangerous."
The Dogs have now fallen to 3-7 and face the Brisbane Lions back at Etihad Stadium in round 12.
