They scored 65 goals between them in winter but Hawke's Bay United fans won't rejoice in any more goals from the Fabulous Four this summer.
That's because the TSB Bank Napier City Rovers scoring machine of Angus Kilkolly, Ryan Tinsley, Stephen Hoyle and Saul Halpin will not be slipping on a Bay United shirt during the 2015-16 ASB Premiership season.
Bar Halpin, who has returned home to England, Bay-born Kilkolly, Tinsley and Hoyle have opted to play for other premiership franchises after a stellar winter stint that saw them help the Rovers clinch the Lotto Central League title but lose in the final to Eastern Suburbs in the national knockout Chatham Cup competition.
Coach Brett Angell finds himself in a more testing position this season with only three players (goalkeeper Joshua Hill and Palmerston North defenders Finlay Milne and Sean Liddicoat) returning to the Bay United fold from last summer.
Of those, only Milne is a Rovers player in Angell's equation from last summer's campaign when they lost in the premiership final to Auckland City.
Kilkolly, Tinsley and Hoyle said they had expressed a desire to play for Bay United but found the recruiting process hostile.
"He [Angell] came across like he never wanted to sign me up," said Kilkolly before catching his flight yesterday to play for German-born Kiwi citizen Willy Gerdsen in his debut season at Canterbury United.
"Brett just wanted me to make up the local numbers so that it would look good to the fans and media," said the 19-year-old striker who shared the league golden boot honours with Tinsley (18 each) but edged out the Englishman for the Rovers club award with 22 goals to 20 when the cup contribution was added to the season's tally.
Kilkolly, who will have Rovers goalkeeper Ruben Parker Hanks alongside him at the Christchurch franchise, said he would have been happy to play for Bay United had Angell given him some assurance on game time.
"I trust Willy more as a coach than I do Brett," he said of Gerdsen, who was his assistant coach at Wanderers Soccer Club last summer.
Echoing sentiments expressed on Facebook, Tinsley said while he wanted to see more of New Zealand after spending two seasons in the Bay he claimed Bay United had "mucked me about".
"They promised me a contract when they first spoke with me [three months ago] but later [a month ago] all that changed," said the English midfielder who has signed with WaiBOP United alongside Hoyle and his brother, James Hoyle.
The trio flat together in Napier but it rankled with Tinsley that Bay United didn't contact the Hoyle brothers directly or even invite them to trials.
"They are my best friends so I wanted to play for a club where we can all be together.
"Brett should have signed eight or nine players from us [Rovers] straightaway. He should have tied down me, Ross [Haviland], Sean [Lovemore] and Mario Barcia [Wellington Olympic] but he left it too late," said Tinsley, after Auckland pair Lovemore and ex-captain Haviland signed with Waitakere United this season.
He intends to return to the Blues next winter "because they are the best club" in the country.
"Bill [Robertson] and CG [Chris Greatholder] looked after me. They are like father figures who helped me out so bad," he said of the player/coach and his assistant who was Bay United coach up to 2013-14 - but Central Football didn't renew Greatholder's contract amid claims and counter claims of his availability.
Stephen Hoyle also confirmed he intended to return to the Blues next winter if selected.
However, the 22-year-old English striker said Bay United sounded out brother James and him through Robertson but after the player-coach's ordeal in trying to convince Angell to sign up Tinsley last season he wasn't prepared to put him through that with their cases this year.
Hoyle didn't feel Angell was "proactive" enough in recruiting although he emphasised the brothers' case was a little different because their visas were expiring so the offer of trials and a two-month visa wasn't attractive.
"I didn't have much player power as I needed a team to help us [with visas]."
Hoyle said he didn't have an axe to grind with Angell but questioned the franchise's "synergy and energy".
"I don't want people to say we're chasing dollars to WaiBOP. Hawke's Bay United are saying they did their best but they didn't at all."
Hoyle said WaiBOP coach Peter Smith and the franchise's professionalism in obtaining visas was fantastic so they had no qualms signing with them.
He loved the Bay and representing it was always his "first choice".
"I want to be like Danny [Wilson] and Fergie [Fergus Neil] who live here," he said of captain Wilson.
Neil, 23, said Angell approached him two months ago but the lure of playing O-League with Wellington was the lure.
"I have nothing against Bay United," he said.