Though they fell out of the finals in straight sets with losses to Lavington and then the Brendan Fevola-inspired Yarrawonga, it was valuable finals experience for a side that had been absent in September for a long time.

It was the first time they had won more than 10 games since 2010, and their campaign included wins over finalists Lavington, Yarrawonga and North Albury.

After surprising plenty by securing the double-chance with a strong home-and-away season, the Raiders only look like improving thanks to some quality additions.

The Raiders have had plenty of movement in the off-season, but the core of their 2015 side remains largely intact. 

Young midfielder Sam Murray will undoubtedly be a loss after being taken by the Sydney Swans in the rookie draft, after placing well in the 2015 Morris Medal.

The return of former best-and-fairest winner Todd Bryant should go a long way towards covering that loss however, with the 24-year old back after a year with Queensland club Palm Beach-Currumbin.

Jake Goldsmith has also left the club due to difficulties with work, but Cresswell hasn't ruled out a return for the classy forward.

Veteran midfielder Matt Murray has also departed, along with tall defender Duncan Proud.

Bradley Tatuaramini will join forward line livewire and Tiwi Island cousin Ross Tungatalum, while Luke Visser is also expected to return after a lengthy absence through injury.

Former Gold Coast Suns reserves and Southport midfielder Tyler Cornish will add size and experience through the midfield after a lengthy stint in the NEAFL.

Essendon and District Leage midfielder Jake Uslar will add class through the midfield and across half-forward, while Myrtleford's Reece Corcoran and Dederang-Mt Beauty's Beau Packer have also signed on.

“We've held the core of the senior group together, which is what we wanted to do from the outset,” Cresswell said.

“We've seen a massive improvement in our kids, and we're hoping to see the kind of improvement we saw in the likes of Connor Newman, Sam Murray and Matt Neagle last year.

“We'd like to be a little bit taller, we're looking for a ruckman to help out Hayden Heta.”

A five-week block before Christmas means the Raiders will have hit the ground running after the Christmas break. 

Numbers have been strong since day one, with Cresswell hoping to build the Raiders depth as a result.

“We've been averaging in the 30's every session and a lot of our recruits haven't arrived yet.

“We were really pleased with our younger group, the got a lot of high intensity running into them, they're in really good shape.”

Jake Uslar, Steve Joliffe, Connor Newman and Jack Hogan have all impressed on the training track.

The Raiders will be tested in the first few rounds, with matches against Wangaratta and Lavington in the first few weeks.

But they're all very winnable games, and if things go their way they could find themselves in a strong position halfway through the season.

“I don't look at the draw and say it will be easy or hard,” Cresswell said.

“They will all be hard.

“Wangaratta will be tough, then we've got Yarrawonga at home and Lavington under lights.

“I think we can improve on where we finished last year.”

A finals appearance is the bare minimum for the Raiders. 

They finished third on the ladder last year and will be looking to go deeper in September after last year's straight sets exit. 

“I wasn't too disappointed with the finals last year,” Cresswell said.

“Our players got a lot of experience playing finals, we're going to be better prepared and have a better understanding of what it takes. 

“We have to win enough games to finish as high as we can.”

The Raiders are every bit a chance to play a preliminary final or even a grand final.

They've found some quality additions to counter their losses, with the exception of Jake Goldsmith.

But Tungatalum and Tatuaramini will add spark, providing they show the consistency Cresswell will be hoping to eke out of them.

‘Rocco’ showed he had the ability to win games off his own back in 2015, and having had time to settle in, could prove devastating to opposition backlines.

Last year's finals campaign will have been a valuable experience and will undoubtedly hold them in good stead should they be in contention come September.

How they fare against rising sides like Wangaratta will be telling.

Fourth.