The Bulldogs' favourite son Andrew George missed the Crossroads Cup on the weekend but will line up for the Dogs in round one of the AFL North West against the Tamworth Kangaroos at Wolseley Oval.

"He [George] will be back. He was busy on the weekend and he's probably one of, if not, our best player so it's great to have him back," Mack said.

The Bulldogs took 14 players away for the Crossroads Cup where the under-strength side failed to win a game.

Mack was unperturbed by the results after the Gunnedah outfit played out three games against Narrabri, Moree and the Tamworth Swans.

"Pretty happy with how things went considering we were down on troops. Two guys had never played before and two or three are back from a couple years off," he said.

"We were rusty early on but there was good bits and pieces through the day."

The new coach has been enjoying his time in the role.

He's been mentoring the senior side and also helping out Sam Proudfoot with the women's side.

"They've had an influx of numbers - really good numbers - and it's good working with people new to the game and giving them a hand," he said.

Mack is hoping for a similar performance from captain Ben Maher on Saturday to what he produced at the Crossroads Cup.

He was one of the Dogs' best with his tireless work-rate on the ball.

"He's as tough as nails and pops up everywhere, as you say. He loves having the footy in hand and he's a good user of the footy as well," Mack said.

The women's clash will kick off the day at 12pm before the men take to the field at 2pm.