Werribee is blessed with a deep talent pool and is tapping into it for the new Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association season.
The Tigers have lost gun young bowler Matt Watt to Footscray Edgewater in Premier Cricket and veteran fast bowler Brad Robertson to retirement, but have decided not to hit the open market for replacements.
Tigers player-coach Tim O’Brien said the club was intent on internal development and progress.
“We’re pretty much settled from last year,” he said. “We haven’t really gone out and recruited.
“All the young kids are doing well at the club, so we’re looking forward to some more of the youth building on last year.
“It was not only the first XI – we had a lot of growth throughout all the XIs.”
Take away the disastrous finals exit and Werribee had an encouraging end to last season.
There was undoubtedly a bitter taste left in Tiger mouths after being skittled for 55 by Balwyn in the quarter-final, but four consecutive wins in do-or-die games to reach the finals should have them encouraged going into a new campaign.
The Tigers played some great cricket at both ends of the season, but hit a flat patch mid-season, so O’Brien’s wish is for more consistency.
“We started the season off well last year,” O’Brien said. “It was just that middle period when we had a bit of a lapse.
“The focus is to try to get consistency over the whole year.”
It will be much easier for Werribee to achieve that with a full allotment of home games.
Last summer, the Tigers spent the first part of the season on the road while their home at Chirnside Park was being re-developed.
The Tigers will continue to use portables as change rooms at home games until the end of the year, but their new clubrooms are scheduled to be completed by Christmas.
“We’re really looking forward to getting
the whole season at our home ground,”
O’Brien said. “It’s going to be absolutely fantastic when it’s finished. It looks bloody amazing.”
As for the vacant bowling positions in the first XI, expect to see Brad Apps, Jack Budd, Matthew Palmer and Stephen Plumridge at the front of the queue.
They will get to work closely with Robertson, who has stayed on at the club as a bowling coach.
Mason Frenkel will be the Tigers’ first choice wicketkeeper.
Frenkel missed part of last season with a broken thumb, opening the door for teenager Darcy Phillips to take the gloves.
Phillips was so impressive that he has kept his spot in the ones solely as a batsman and will be a handy back-up for Frenkel.
Matt Dean, who topped the batting average last summer, is fit and firing.
Dean missed a chunk of last season attending to a pre-existing football injury.
Werribee will host Preston in a two-day game to open the sub-district season on Saturday, October 7.
