After leading the Dragons to third place in the COVID-19 lockdown interrupted 2021 season, the highly-regarded coach returns for a fourth year.

"I'm sure all the coaches that have been involved in the last couple of seasons are in the same boat, it feels as though it's been a lot of work for not much return,'' Connick said.

"Deep down our disappointment and that feeling of being a bit flat is natural because we didn't get to enjoy what we like to do.

"Once you turn it around to that, well let's get back into it and fingers crossed we do get a full season next year.

"We made some good strides this year and I feel as though we're in a window where we could do something.

"I want to finish what we started, so once you put all that together it was a pretty easy decision in the end to coach again."

Connick's fourth season in charge of the Dragons will be minus two of the club's best players in Nick Stagg and Lachlan Ross, who signed with Kerang earlier this week.

With Stagg and Ross departing, the Dragons have seven of their 2016 premiership team still at the club full-time - Blair Holmes, Lee Coghlan, Matt Thornton, Brodie Montague, Joel and Alex Wharton and James Coghlan - while an eighth member of the side, Collingwood VFL skipper Lachlan Tardrew remains aligned with the Dragons.

"The lure of something different was for both of them,'' Connick said.

"Whenever you lose two players who are part of where you want to go, it's disappointing. Nick was captain of the club, so that's also disappointing.

"We're disappointed that they're both gone, but they don't owe Sandhurst anything.

"Hopefully, Kerang can leave a couple of spots for some locals."

Connick said the club was well-placed to challenge for the premiership in 2022.

"We're down the track with a couple of recruits, and if they happen to come off, then I think we'll be better placed list wise,'' Connick said.

"We're also in talks with some other players about returning to the club.

"Obviously, you'd be even better off if you'd retained everyone, but that's footy. You have to move on pretty quickly.

"We're really excited about the young players that are coming through and the group of young players that played senior footy this year will be even better next year.

"It's an exciting time for the club."

Connick said he was weighing up how the coaching structure at the Dragons would look for next season.

After two seasons as senior assistant, Rob Bennett announced this week he was leaving the Dragons to return to his home club as coach of North Bendigo.

"I was given a really good piece of advice seven or eight years ago that your assistant coaches need to be of a certain standard or you're better off not having one,'' Connick said.

"Rob will be very hard to replace. He took that line coach roll to another level and he'll be greatly missed.

"The work he did with our midfielders and opposition analysis certainly took a big weight off my shoulders.

"We knew he would coach again at some stage, he's too good a coach not to.

"We're very happy for him, I'm sure he'll do well there. It's a big win for North (Bendigo)."

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