Coach Daryn Cresswell confirmed the club was on the verge of landing several heavyweight recruits.

Rovers have been linked with 2018 Morris Medallist Brodie Filo, who played under Cresswell at Wodonga Raiders and has twice been voted the best player in the Northern Territory Football League.

"We'll lose three or four but we'll bring in seven or eight," Cresswell said.

"We're very close to announcing four or five really strong players and getting some local boys back, one-pointers, so we think our list will be stronger than it was this year.

"There will be some players announced very shortly who the league has seen before."

That list will also include Alex McCarthy, who was last week named player-of-the-year in the Ovens and Murray's thirds competition.

"Alex will play a lot of senior football this year," Cresswell said.

"His footy acumen is incredible, he's got a strong body and he does things you can't teach.

"In my time at the club, our list of players coming up to senior level from the thirds is the best that I've seen and that's really exciting.

"We've got some good young players pushing hard for senior selection."

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Cresswell believes the Ovens and Murray is now the envy of leagues in metropolitan Melbourne, with new Lavington coach Adam Schneider, his former Sydney Swans team-mate, the latest big name to land in the competition.

"This is my eighth year and it's the strongest I've seen the league," he said.

"You now turn up to a game not knowing if you're going to win or lose and that's good. That's what the competition should be.

"Myrtleford are the dark horses, they've recruited really well and they've got two wonderful coaches.

"Albury will be strong as will Wangaratta and there's a lot of clubs pushing up. Peter German's done a great job at Corowa, so it's going to be a very even competition.

"It's unpredictable and we are now the envy of other competitions."

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