Although the Pigeons have been hurt by the departure of leading goalkickers Tim Hargreaves and Mark Keenan, coach Craig Ednie appears to have covered the losses with Gooley and O’Brien to join fellow recruits Marcus McMillan, Steve McKee and Sam Keenan in attack.

Last year’s grand finalists have also picked up Euroa on-baller Cameron Thyer.

O’Brien, 23, kicked 58 goals in the Northern Football League before being injured late in the season last year, while Gooley, 23, played up the ground for East Ringwood in the Eastern Football League.

Both stand at over 190cm.

Pigeon president Glenn Brear said Gooley and O’Brien would help bolster one of the club’s trouble spots in attack which was ruthlessly exposed by Albury in the grand final.

“We think they will be good for the club as well as Cameron,” Brear said.

“We got chopped up in the height department this year particularly by Albury and hopefully it will work itself out with the options we have.

“Mind you, we got chopped up in a lot of areas by Albury.

“We are shaping up OK, but there is plenty of ground to make up on last year.”

Thyer, 26, is expected to be used as a midfielder-flanker by Ednie in a line-up which could have as many as 10 new faces when the Pigeons take on Albury on April 4.

McKee, Michael Egan and Clint Runnalls (Aberfeldie), Keenan (Coolamon), McMillan (South Cairns), Gooley (East Ringwood), O’Brien (Bundoora) and Thyer (Euroa) have crossed to the J.C. Lowe Oval.

On the debit side, Hargreaves and Keenan are gone along with Nic O’Bryan, John McHenry, John Lucas, Justin McCabe, Ash Thomson and Bernard Price.

Yarrawonga resumed training on Monday night with Ednie recovering from shoulder surgery.