by Joel Batson
It's officially cricket season as the Warragul and District Cricket Association gears up for another season. Here's how every club is shaping up going into a new summer of competition.
Buln Buln
After a tumultuous period post division one premiership, Buln Buln will spend their first season in the second division in several years.
The club has been fairly quiet on the recruitment front; opting instead to build with their young stars such as Andrew Burdett. However, their biggest rising star, Lachie Jagoe, will unfortunately miss an extended period of time after a serious accident left him with a broken leg. This will undoubtedly tarnish hopes of a quick rebound to division one for the Lyrebirds, but with Wilson Pollock at the helm don't be surprised to see the Birds shock some of the top teams in the grade with their experience.
Catani:
The division one new boys from last season will be heading into the 22-23 campaign full of optimism, after a successful season for the club from top-down. As the new side in the top flight, there was an air of mystique about the Cats last season - with a bevy of WDCA division one debutants, they certainly shocked some of the more established sides in the competition, with incredible depth that could potentially be considered the best the league has to offer, as evidenced by their division three side running the table last season.
New coach Jarryd Williams has reportedly got the club training the house down in pre-season - his leadership will undoubtedly bring the best out of their growing young stars, with the likes of Daniel Vela and Liam Adams threatening to blow the competition apart at points last year. Their young talent doesn't stop there - keeper Ned Harrison's move from Tooradin was a success story for the club last year, while Riley McDonald produced spurts of brilliance which underline the flair that this side plays with.
No doubt the key is once again their experience, however, Williams will play a big role in that, but as far as proving it in the WDCA, James Vela is clearly still the one to watch. He had a solid year with the bat last season (292 runs at 32.44), but with the potential to bowl periods of overs in two-day cricket, he looms as the man to drag them into their first WDCA A Grade finals campaign.
Key ins:
Jarryd Williams, Nathan Goodes
Drouin
You can't keep a champion side down for long, and after missing finals for the first time in over a decade, don't expect an early holiday for the Hawks this year.
Two massive additions - Damon Healy, and Troy Lehman back from a 2021 hiatus - leads many to tip Drouin as the premiership front-runner this season. While I wouldn't go that far, the shape of their batting order looks salivating, and with two-day cricket back on the agenda, their wealth of experience will come in handy. Namely, Ben Spicer and Damon Healy will provide the grunt. Healy's return from Hallora has provided a spark to a declining side, and if he replicates last season's form (653 runs at 43.53), the Hawks may provide the most potent batting line-up in the league. His likely opening pair Spicer is the improvement area - while 387 runs at 32.25 is sensational by any metric in the WDCA, his overall talent threatens 600+ runs if he hits form.
Unfortunately for his side, visa issues have seen them miss out on potential international recruits (for the moment), so an improved side still has scope to be better.
Coach Spicer also forecasts a big season from club legends Trevor and Simon Gardiner, as well as youngsters such as Matt Kouris and Keegan Friedlander. He'll need them, as the young and old of the list will need to mesh if Drouin want to regain the trophy that they've so often owned over recent memory.
Key ins: Damon Healy, Troy Lehman
Ellinbank
A sensational campaign last year saw Ellinbank take home a flag several generations in the making, but can they do something even tougher…go back-to-back? It would be fair to say they are the raging favourites - a young, thriving list, with several superstars in the peak of their powers and recruits galore will see the Eagles red-hot through the early months of the season. Perhaps their only threat is visa issues - damaging spinner Gihan De Zoysa and unknown quantity Sahan Jayewardene are awaiting entry into the country as they, like so many other clubs, hope for their stars' arrival.
Despite this, Ellinbank will still be odds on to run the table early. They will have to do without grand final hero Amal Mahathelge for this season as their only significant out, but Tom Robertson's incredible call-up to the Australian Deaf Team, coupled with Kim Drew's injury concerns after a monumental footy season for Leongatha (in which he captured his second flag for the calendar year), will leave a couple of holes to be filled. Matt Brewer's full-time commitment to cricket will certainly help, with coach Sean Masterson pleased by his and new recruits' Jona Watts and Matt Wragg's pre-season. Masterson has also heaped praise on young gun Liam Lisle, who is "ready to take a big step forward" after his final season of junior cricket. With Masterson's commitment to youth in recent years, expect an early, and successful, call-up for a promising young cricketer in Lisle.
With all this aside, the nucleus of the Eagles comes down to two men - Nick Fairbank and Sean Masterson. Their leadership provides the glue for the team, but their ferocious cricket provides the flair. Fairbank (483 runs at 60.38) was undoubtedly the most influential cricketer in the association last year, curating a masterful summer that is unlikely to be eclipsed anytime soon; Masterson's (249 runs and 24 wickets) season was nearly as effective with bat and ball, but expect another jump from the young all-rounder, as his cricket will be better with the red ball.
With the likes of Chris Perry, Curtis Howell, and Matt Farthing to compliment with willow and leather, the Eagles are unlikely to be headed as premiership favourite for quite some time. But there's a reason we haven't had a back-to-back premier for seven years - they are extremely difficult to win.
Key ins:
Jona Watts, Matthew Wragg, Gihan De Zoysa, Sahan Jayewardene, Jamie Brieley
Key outs:
Amal Mahathelge
Garfield-Tynong
Back at their true home, the pristine Garfield Recreation Reserve, expect a new and improved Garfield-Tynong side after a tough couple of years post an unglamorous division one exit. A bevy of young players have kept the Titans afloat in recent years, but it'll be an injection of experience that will need to perform if they are to both survive and then thrive in what will be a hotly contested division.
New coach Travis Maher will be one such component, and with a good resume of performances at Western Park, his form with the willow will be vital. His excitement is clearly palpable about the opportunity and was pleased by pre-season turnout with two players, Chris Denipitiya and Will Pickering, the standouts. Denipitva looms as a quality all-rounder, while Pickering will "give sides headaches" with his spin bowling according to his captain. The return of AP Rangajith will also be vital, with his left-arm tweakers causing problems in the top division in years past.
Key ins:
APK Rangajith, Chris Denipitva, Travis Maher
Hallora
A bountiful five years for Hallora has netted them two flags, however they will be sorely disappointed in the circumstances of their defeat last year.
The best chance for a back-to-back flag in a long, long time, the Kangas fell at the final hurdle on their home turf and will now deal with two massive outs in this coming season. The loss of their best batsmen, Damon Healy, and their best bowler, leg-spinner Natsai M'Shangwe, will undoubtedly test Hallora's mettle. However, they have replaced them with two good cricketers in their own right in Brett Watkins from Camberwell, and English pace bowler Adam Snowdon, who reportedly looms as a matchwinner on all fronts this coming season.
Off the field, the appointment of new coach Mitch Smith provides something Hallora have seldom had recently - a coach who is unlikely to play in the top grade. What element will that bring? The man himself seems keen to see the development of some of their young guns. He is keen to see Brayden Notman and Liam Serong "drive the side back into finals" with continued growth from them and Aidan Phillips the catalyst for this year.
He also believes front-line spinner James Williams will "wind-back the clock as the front-line spinner again". This writer agrees, the workhorse will need to keep that arm on ice throughout the week over summer, with many overs needed to be bowled.
Once again, Hallora's key will come down to their even-headedness and class batting. Fraser Duncan, Brett Williams and Cam McPhan will be forced to take on even bigger roles, but the trio seem to get better with age, so expect some huge scores on their home turf, particularly post-Christmas with last season seemingly unlocking new potential for runs not seen in many years out at Hallora.
Will they be in contention again for the flag? Of course. They are the mainstay of the competition, the standard of consistency all teams measure themselves by, and aspire to be. If a pandemic couldn't shift the bulk of their squad, I don't think anything will take them away from premiership contention for this generation.
Key ins:
Brett Watkins, Adam Snowdon
Key outs:
Damon Healy, Natsai M'Shangwe
Iona
A club that was struggling in division three several years ago, Iona has pulled of a brisk turnaround to be the favourites for the flag in the second-grade heading into the 22-23 season.
A tough straight sets exit last year will no doubt be fueling a strong pre-season, with the club reportedly extremely excited about the turnout and overall quality that the club has produced coming into spring.
The playing list retains some of the old, reliable campaigners such as Luke Gilbert, Mick Taylor, Luke Ferguson and Wade Haysom, while retaining the young - Liam Lenders has been tipped to "go to another level" with the young star handed leadership honours last year fueling his confidence. Expect him and the rest of the batting order to feast on some of the bowling attacks at the Iona ground.
Perhaps the biggest key to the season is the signing of a youthful tearaway quick - Jay Riley is expected to shatter a few stumps this year, with the club also confident in his batting ability. His pace may be the point of difference in the competition this confirming, with this inclusion confirming the Swamp Tigers as my tip for the flag.
Key ins:
Jay Riley, Brad Remy, Jackson Clerks
Jindivick
A club that is undoubtedly rebuilding, Jindivick will be hoping to remain a steady competitor in division two this season.
The inclusion of Aaron Douglas, a man with a wealth of experience and the ability to perform with bat and ball, will perhaps be the greatest bearer of their fortunes, as the Jumping Jacks rely on the likes of Matt Ward and Jordan Smith once again this year.
Without a steady crop of juniors pushing for higher grade selection, it's hard to see where a potential promotion push could come from for the Jacks, however a proud club with the likes of Mark Braddick at the helm are never too far away from a turnaround, and they will be sure to cause a few upsets as the season progresses.
Key ins:
Aaron Douglas
Longwarry
After five years in the wilderness, Longwarry are back in division one in a big way, and will perhaps pull off the rare feat of competing in finals as a newly promoted side.
The Crows have had to bide their time, toiling away in the lower grades as they turned over their playing list - and brought back a few of the town's favourite sons.
The catalyst for their premiership tilt last season was undoubtedly a signing made pre-COVID - Yashan Samarasinghe's three seasons in the league have been nothing short of remarkable, and it will be a privilege to see the WDCA representative to go toe-to-toe with the best across the district. His time at the club has seen him amass 1387 runs with four centuries, to go along with 67 wickets (all of this capped off by a man of the match performance in last year's decider).
Jonah Serong's return to the club his family built has also been nothing short of remarkable - his Premier experience at Casey-South Melbourne, not overshadowing his incredible all-around ability, has brought a professionalism not seen since his father was terrorising the competition.
It would be remiss of us not to mention Dylan Serong in all this too, as he was the second-best batsmen in the division last year behind Samarasinghe, in a true bounce-back year for the right-hander.
Points of improvement have come from recruiting as the club looks to survive the harsh environment of A Grade. The club is excited by the retainment of talent, but also looks at wicketkeeper Vidusha Jayasinghe, fast bowlers John Langley and Daniel Waite, as well as the return of frightening quick Dylan Holland (who is reportedly "lighting up the training track") as the quartet who are likely to push the Crows to the next level. Either way, it'll certainly be exciting to watch.
Key ins:
Vidusha Jayasinghe, John Langley, Daniel Waite, Dylan Holland
Neerim District
To describe Neerim over the last five years would be to describe "steady." The club has gone from strength-to-strength in recent times, formerly the complete wildcard of the highest grade, they loom as a constant finals threat, and perhaps a premiership threat this season.
After a quick exit in March last campaign, a list that has had very little turnover will be expecting bigger things this year. The likes of Dane Fawcett, Kody Wilson and Jack Ward will be the key to success again this year - can their top few become true superstars of the competition and bully some of the true top-tier sides? Can the likes of Carter Davis and Pat Sheehan establish themselves as true division one cricketers, and lead a youthful team forward? These questions will need to be answered for the Stags to have a tilt at a rare A Grade flag this season.
The swap back to two-day cricket also looms as a potential advantage for the club. With their turf ground now giving them the edge over synthetic foes, and a strong bowling line-up in tow, expect Neerim to be hard to beat as teams struggle to travel through the hills. If they can take five or six wins at their new fortress, put your money on a shock GF appearance this season.
Warragul
Not too many sides are ever better placed for future success after relegation than Warragul are currently.
With an incredibly young list and having endured a tremendously tough two seasons in the league's top-grade, the Gulls have done what many clubs have struggled to do over the COVID-period - retain their young talent.
Warragul are blessed with a bevy of 20-22-year-olds who are willing to stick it out for the club and are undoubtedly going to be rewarded this year. The likes of Matt Bow, Tyler Constantine, Patrick Mulqueen and Daniel Whitten will be better for the division one experience and have the ability to cement their side as the best batting group in division two.
Matt Wakefield's first season as senior coach is well overdue, and he has openly stated that he is "very optimistic about the future" and is extremely excited about the "continued improvement of their younger players." While the youngsters will provide the push, expect him and Todd Mann to lead the way as Warragul strive for an elusive flag.
Key ins:
Beau Watson, Tristan Fraser
Key outs:
Jackson Clerks, Harrison Moore
Western Park
After several years of finals failures, Western Park has experienced a considerable amount of flux in the off-season that will make or break their finals hopes.
The additions of gun batsmen Damien Lawrence and Greg Munro will undoubtedly strengthen an admittedly brittle batting line-up at times, with Lawrence's spin potentially proving to be an x-factor component.
The signing of Englishman Ellis Whiteford also adds to the spin bowling stocks, with him, Lawrence and Jason Croft expected to bowl many, many overs as we shift to red ball cricket. New skipper Jack Armour and Sanjaya Gangodawila will no doubt continue their strong partnership at the top of the order, with the pair vying to dethrone several others as the top batsmen in the association.
However, the optimism for the club has also been met with a stretch of pessimism as premier WDCA bowler and coach Sam Batson may miss the majority of the season with a shoulder injury and Leigh Diston all set to depart as well, severely hindering the bowling stocks. With Patrick Ireland potentially missing with football commitments and Joel Batson out for the season through injury, there is likely to be a severe lack of pace on the ball at any stage for the Warriors, which could lead to a steep decline down the ladder.
Coach Batson is still confident - referring to recent junior premiership success, he states that the club is "excited by some new talent, as well as our raft of 15-18 year olds ready to progress their senior cricket and take the opportunities they'll get this year." He added it's "disappointing" to see the departures, however perhaps the new blood will finally see Western Park over the finish line this season?
Key ins:
Damien Lawrence, Greg Munro, Ellis Whiteford
Key outs:
Sam Batson (partial), Leigh Diston
Yarragon
What a topsy-turvy off-season for the Panthers - after managing to scratch and claw their way to safety once again, the eastern-most side in the competition will seriously have their hands full to survive the drop this season.
Yarragon lost perhaps their greatest ever player in Gamini Kumara this off-season, after a decade-long stint at the club (headlined by 6812 runs and 271 wickets) and will be unlikely to fill even half the hole that he has left.
The club has appointed Jake Green as their division one skipper, and a lack of leadership experience may be concerning to the Panther faithful, but could give them an early jolt for the opening four one-dayers, so watch for a quick start from this unpredictable side.
The inclusions of the returning Lahiru Jayakody and Nuwan Perera back for their first stint post-COVID will be the key for the club, who will be dreaming of another finals appearance, but are unfortunately likely to be battling off the bottom once again.
Key ins:
Lahiru Jayakody, Nuwan Perera
Key outs:
Gamini Kumara