Corowa-Rutherglen has taken a vital step towards fixing its Achilles' heel by landing former VFL forward James Svarc.
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The Roos haven't had a player kick more than 16 goals in a season the last two years and the club is delighted another former player is back, albeit after almost three seasons out of the game working in the WA mines.
"He's still right in his prime, he's looking super strong, he told us his cardiovascular fitness is not quite there, but gym work and strength wise, he's looking very strong and is going to be a key for us," Roos' head of football Craig Spencer said.
Svarc debuted for the Roos as a teenager in 2013 and played 55 matches over the next four seasons, kicking 78 goals.
He also represented the Ovens and Murray when it hammered the Hampden Football League by 66 points in 2016.
Svarc joined VFL outfit Coburg in 2017, playing 11 games in the Development League and two senior matches, under current Roos' coach Peter German.
"He's excited to get back with him and see what 'Germo' can provide," Spencer said of the player-coach reunion.
"He's also excited by the fact that we've done pretty well in the recruiting stakes and it's all looking positive."
Former AFL assistant coach and VFL mentor German is himself a recruit as the off-field coach, but the Roos' recruiting committee has been extremely busy over the off-season, picking up former Ballarat and Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League Team of the Year member Kyle Docherty, three-time Wahgunyah best and fairest Matt Grantham, ex-VFL on-baller Charlie Nastasi (Williamstown) and former Roo Jason Marks after a five-year stint with Spotswood in the Western Region Football League.
Nastasi also played under German at Williamstown.
Svarc is the only full-time forward of the recruits, but Docherty was named centre half-forward in the BFL's Team of the Year in 2016, while Nastasi has the capability of pushing forward from the midfield to kick goals.
COVID-19 wiped out this year's O and M season, robbing the Roos of attacking spearheads Damian Cupido and Trent Castles.
Cupido has since joined Hume League club Brock-Burrum as assistant coach, while Castles will play with Riverina outfit Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes.
Svarc will shoulder enormous responsibility after Alex Wallis (15 goals in 2019) and Cody Parker (16 in 2018) topped the club goal-kicking.
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"James has got the X-factor and that's what we love about him," Spencer said.
The Roos have won only five games in two years, but that was after successive winless seasons.
