Harry Haley had time at North Ringwood after spending the bulk of his career with De La Salle Old Collegians in the Victorian Amateurs.

"I came up here as a kid to Yarrawonga to play a tennis tournament and I've always loved Yarrawonga and had a few mates from up here, like Lach Howe, they're down in Melbourne now, but I thought I'd have a change," he said.

Haley recently moved to the region as a builder.

"He (Haley) was a pretty prodigious talent as a junior but had some bung shoulders back then," Howe said.

"If he gets a good run at it he can seriously play, like he's pretty tough and his skills are pretty sharp, he could be a very good pick-up for 'Yarra'."

Haley, who turns 28 next March, can play either half-forward or in the midfield.

"He's tough, inside player, head over the footy, I think he'll do well up there," Old Collegians' president Matt O'Callaghan said.

The club boss raved about Haley as a clubman and the fact North Ringwood did the same, after only a short stint, is an indication of his popularity.

"He was a great team man, everyone loved him, he was a personality, I know he was much loved around the footy club," secretary Neil Sheppard said.

Haley isn't a pacy on-baller, but the Pigeons have landed a strong player.

"I'm reasonably fit for somebody who's played as much footy as I have," he said.

Howe was asked if the arrival of a great mate could lead to him returning to the club, which would be an enormous boost to its premiership hopes in 2021, but he's in his first year as a barrister.

"It might be a bit hard at this stage but you never say never," the 27-year-old said.

ALSO IN SPORT:

"Winning a flag at 'Yarra' is something that I'd like to do before my time is up, it's just finding a time which suits.

"You've got to do the hard yards early to set yourself up and it's just whether I can justify six hours in the car every weekend, at this stage I would more than likely play down here (Melbourne)."