The Roos charged into the finals last year on the back of a frenetic game plan, their progress only halted by eventual premiers Yarrawonga in the preliminary final.

But this year only Sophie Hanrahan and Cath Svarc are expected to play a full season.

Gun shooter Jess Bice is expected to play the opening month before heading overseas, coach and centre Beck O’Connell, who is one game short of 200 in Ovens and Murray A grade, is pregnant while Simone Hanrahan has shifted to Noosa.

Ruby Svarc, who travelled from uni studies in Melbourne last year, is also missing while Caitlin Hanrahan is another heading to England.

O’Connell said it was devastating. “I guess life has just got in the way,” she said.

“We have been so lucky to have built a team around a group of girls who were all coming through at the same time and unfortunately it had to come to an end at some stage.

“We will just have to start again — we’re not short on talent, just short on experience.”

O’Connell blamed herself for not blooding some promising B graders last year.

“We were always on the cusp of playing finals — something we hadn’t done, something that became a bit of a Holy Grail,” she said.

“I felt like I couldn’t jeopardise that and so I stuck with the starting seven for nearly the entire year and clearly it would be better now if we had look to build our depth.

“Having come so far from 2009 and the dark days of not even fielding an A grade team I guess it’s disappointing for the club that we have to start again.”

O’Connell said promising B graders Caroline Svarc and Erica Hanrahan would come into the A grade side, along with Loren Filliponi and former Rand Walbundire A grader Steph Clancy.

“I’ve been trying to convince Steph to come in and play Ovens and Murray for some time so that’s a plus and Erica and Caroline were on the fringe of A grade last year,” she said.

“Loren has been knocking on the door — she played finals in C grade and B grade and was in the A grade side last year so hopefully she is a finals lucky charm.”