And he is not shy about detailing the pedigree of Ryan McCarragher.

"He's one of the best players to come out of the North in the last five to 10 years," Gaetani said of his latest recruit.

"He's in Riverside's team of the half-century, won best and fairest awards at Northern Rangers and he's still young so there's a lot of football left in him.

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"We've got him for the rest of the season and he's a huge bonus for us.

"He brings a huge amount of competitiveness and can score goals."

The striking figurehead in Olympic's Northern Championship title last season, McCarragher was initially reluctant to commit to the travel requirements of statewide competition due to having a young family.

But the persuasive powers of Gaetani prompted a change of heart and the Windsor Park favourite returned via the bench midway through the second half of Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Clarence, slotting in alongside Chris Wademan to form an all-British frontline.

Wademan has already made a dramatic comeback of his own, scoring five goals in four games since returning to the club he last played for in 2014, and McCarragher said it was good to follow suit.

"I really missed playing, I missed the blokes and the competition," said the 30-year-old.

"I felt a bit guilty only training once and making the bench straight away but it was good.

"I felt a bit underdone but it feels good to be back and I want to get back up to scratch fitness-wise so I can have more of an impact."

Born in Belfast, McCarragher moved to Tasmania for Grade 8, attending Riverside High School, Launceston College and the University of Tasmania.

Now a father-of-two and teacher at Punchbowl Primary School, he has enjoyed his involvement in Tasmanian soccer.

"I had played in Ireland but when I moved here it was a bit of a shock because everyone played AFL. I played for Southern Raiders at under-13s then moved to Riverside and have been there ever since except for the first two years of the State League when I played at Northern Rangers.

"The time at Rangers were the best two years of football I've had. I loved the step up and we had quite a good side at that stage and made a state final. I really enjoyed it."

After sharing a best and fairest with good mate Todd Hingston and finishing runner-up the following year, McCarragher returned to help Riverside claim the Northern Championship title.

"I played centre-back at Rangers but when I came back to Riverside their defence was strong so I started in midfield and enjoyed the change because I had been playing defence for ever.

"I played every game last year. It was a good solid side and it was great to win the league and score a couple on the way.

"It's been good to see how everything has flowed from there. I've been following it closely."

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McCarragher scored 16 goals last season with one of his three hat-tricks coming in a memorable win at Somerset which effectively clinched the title.

"Alex contacted me at the start of the season but it was just not going to work on my side with work commitments and family. He and Jimmy Colgrave kept texting me through the season and eventually I asked to play reserves but they pushed me up the ladder a bit.

"Riverside now is worlds apart from any other club in the state. I cannot believe it. We used to train down there and the lights were so bad that if the fog rolled in you could not see a thing but now they've got these new clubrooms and a great structure. It's awesome to see. They are right on top of things and look to have a great future. It's a good place to be at the moment."

McCarragher's return leaves Gaetani with the welcome conundrum of who to play up front.

Having played either side of town during Wademan's previous stint in orange, the pair only crossed paths for the first time earlier this month.

"I had not met him until the South Hobart game and have only trained with him once but a lot of my mates at the club get on well with him and he's a bit of a character so I don't think it will take long to hit it off," McCarragher said.

Gaetani added: "It changes things a bit but only for the better if you've got him and Wadey working together. We'll see."

Having pushed Hobart Zebras, held South Hobart and then defeated Clarence, Gaetani believes his side is ready to take another step forward against seventh-placed Glenorchy on Saturday as they enjoy five consecutive home games.

"I think the last few weeks have seen an upturn in form and we need to try and get an opportunity to get a win against one of the top sides," Gaetani said. "We really need to push for that, especially at home."

Launceston City have the bye ahead of the following weekend's Northern derby.