There is always plenty of pressure on young men who return to their home clubs after playing in the AFL. And it was no different for Andrew Collins when late last year he decided to head back to Bridgewater following stints with Richmond and Carlton.

But after the 25-year-old accepted the role as the Mean Machine's senior coach, the pressure was on for one key reason: he was taking over a team that had recently won its fourth consecutive premiership.

"In some ways, taking over a successful side makes it easier," Bridgewater president Gary Walters said. "You know you've got a culture where they know what winning's about.

"But you don't want to be known as the person who let it slide."

So far, so good. Having enjoyed a comfortable victory over Bears Lagoon-Serpentine in last weekend's Loddon Valley league second semi-final, Bridgewater has not only qualified for its fifth grand final on the trot, it is just one win away from securing a perfect season.

"Andrew's a quality person, and he's handled the coaching role with ease, really," Walters said. "He's not big-headed and he knows where we're at. He's knows it's not the AFL.

"But he still wants us to have enough professionalism to stay in front of the pack. And for us, you don't often get someone straight out of the AFL system who wants to coach your footy club. Not at our level, anyway.

"It's been great. We've got a bit of an ageing list, with a few blokes who are in their 30s or pushing 30 now, and he's been able to refresh the whole place."

Collins progressed through the junior ranks at Bridgewater in the late 1990s and early 2000s, having been inspired by the feats of his father, David, who coached Bridgewater to senior premierships in 1988 and '91.

In his mid-teens, he moved up in class by playing for Sandhurst in the Bendigo league. He then came into draft calculation while running around with the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup.

Drafted by Richmond with pick 73 in the 2006 national draft, he played 25 games for the Tigers and became something of a cult-hero after a match-winning last quarter against the Sydney Swans in 2010.

Then, to the dismay of many Richmond supporters, he was off-loaded to Carlton in exchange for Shaun Grigg.

Collins spent three seasons at the Blues and played 11 games for the club, but injuries prevented him from realising his potential.

After being delisted at the end of last season, he decided his time in the big smoke was up. He moved home to the family farm where he helps run a substantial livestock and cropping operation alongside his parents and grandparents.

When Collins spoke to The Sunday Age during the week, he had just ducked out of the shearing shed during afternoon smoko. After the phone call, he was returning to his duties as a rouseabout.

"I was always keen on getting back to the farm," he said. "It's nice to be out of the traffic.

"I enjoyed Melbourne, but I'm definitely a country boy at heart."

When it came to footy, Collins initially tossed around the idea of playing with Sandhurst. But the chance to play alongside his brother, Alexander, who booted 109 goals last season, was too good to pass up.

Unfortunately, the Collins brothers were able to play just one and a bit games together this year. Andrew was the first to go down when he suffered a badly broken collarbone in round three against Newbridge.

While Andrew was recovering from an operation that saw two plates and 12 screws used to set his collarbone in place, Alexander, who is a stock agent, suffered a season-ending knee injury.

When all that is taken into account, it is a remarkable effort that Bridgewater has gone through the season undefeated to this point.

"Our boys are a very driven group, and they're very hungry for more success," Collins said. "They're a very special group."

Given the regular wins, and the fact he's kicked 45 goals in the nine games that he's played, it's no surprise that Collins has enjoyed his first season back in the bush.

"It's nice to be able to have a couple of beers after games," he said.

Collins is now desperate to finish the season with a premiership. But given he's never played in a grand final before, his nerves are already jangling even though the big game, which will be played at Mitiamo next Saturday, is the best part of a week away.

"The coaching side of things adds to all that," he said. "Being responsible for the whole group of players and how they fare will be more nerve-wracking than playing in a Carlton-Collingwood or Richmond-Essendon game."

By Adam McNicol

Article first appeared The Sunday Age, Sept 7 2014