The Blues are keeping a lid on expectation - or trying to - after last year's promising off-season was doubled down by a couple of key pick-ups for next year.

Leeton-Whitton grand final player Sam Hopper has joined ex-Crows premiership coach Jade Hodge in joining the Farrer League club for 2021, giving the Blues two ideal recruits: a relatively experienced but potentially still untapped 20-year-old talent, and a proven key forward.

Hillier is honest about their excitement but knows December is a long way from September.

"We've worked really hard over the past couple of years to build a list together that we want to take forward and one that's going to be competitive as well," Hillier said.

"To add Sam to the guys we already had, we're rapt. We can't wait to get into it.

"But I wouldn't say that (we're in the top two or three contenders). We've got a lot of new players. That's going to be hard. We haven't played together before.

"Putting all those guys together on game day is going to be the challenge but we're pretty happy with the list we've got going in to next year."

Coleambally last year signed former Griffith coach, Riverina League coach and league medallist, Guy Orton, as well as the Valeri brothers, Tom and Theo, and Jordan Crowe from the Swans.

Hillier says after a year off, good numbers and depth will help strengthen the club and he's pleased with the leadership and experience Orton and Hodge bring.

And not everyone had a year off. Hodge and Hopper got to a grand final and Hillier's co-coach, Curtis Steele (yet to take charge for a game more than a year after taking on the job) also played in the highly-regarded AFL Riverina Championship with Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong.

"The guys who played this year really enjoyed that short season," Hillier said.

"It was an unbelievable comp, from the games that I watched. It was impressive. It'll be hard to match that but the boys we've got, they really enjoyed the pressure and standard."

As for Hopper, Hillier's been very happy with what he's brought to training so far. But the young ex-Crow insists he's there to learn.

"Looking at the list we've got and the boys at training, all the sessions have been pretty sharp, and we're pretty keen to see where we're at," Hopper said.

"I've played against Curtis Steele - he's a good player, a really smart player around the footy. And Guy Orton, they're guys who have played good footy for a long time and done a lot, so I'm really keen to learn a lot off them."

Hopper has played in senior grand finals with Torquay, in the Bellarine League, and Leeton-Whitton in the last two seasons. Everyone wants to keep a lid on excitement. But you can't deny a burning desire either.

"In 2019 when I went down to Torquay, we lost that one by 12 points. So I've lost two in a row now. I'm pretty keen to go and get one. I'm still chasing that elusive premiership," Hopper said.

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