What a difference an off-season makes.

Rovers were coming off their worst season, the first winless wooden spoon in the club's 68 years.

And Myrtleford was the season's biggest underachiever, posting just four wins.

It highlights the impact a coach can have.

Jake Sharp is a Myrtleford boy and he'd bolt it in for most popular coach.

"In my time in Myrtleford, I probably haven't played with such a bonded group and that's what he's brought the most," Saints' co-captain Matt Dussin said after the frenetic five-point win over Rovers.

"It's what he's done off the field that is probably his greatest success so far."

Of course, the tricky part is if the Saints start losing.

It's never easy for a coach to drop a player, but particularly if he's grown up with him.

A first-year coach needs tremendous support and Sharp will need honesty.

Given the Saints have now started with three straight wins for the first time since 1996 that will only build more expectation from a hungry supporter base.

But while Myrtleford boasts only one premiership (toppling Rovers in 1970), Rovers have racked up 15 since 1950.

In fact, the Hawks won all those in a stunning 36-year period from 1958 to 1994.

It's now 25 years since Rovers won their last, with league legend Rob Walker at his peak.

But signing ex-Raiders' mentor Daryn Cresswell has the joint jumping.

Walker recently said he couldn't recognise some players at training, they had lost that much weight.

The five-time Morris medallist and Collingwood legend Bob Rose are the biggest names in Rovers' history.

It's a big call, but if 'Crezza' leads the club from its darkest days to a flag in the coming years, could he become part of the 'big three'?

Given the salary cap and player points, a gun coach has never been more important.