Premier Cricket preview: Unknowns in last season’s bottom nine

It’s been a long, cold and lonely winter, but cricket season is finally back. The Victorian Premier Cricket season is kicking off this Saturday with a round of one-day matches. Every team will tell you they’ve had a good off-season, but will it translate to on-field results?

Sports reporters Daniel Paproth and Ewen McRae cast their eyes over the form with a look at the top nine teams from last season. Who do you think has what it takes this time around? Tell us on twitter @StarWeeklySport and Facebook.

Premier cricket preview: A lot to like about last season’s top nine

DANDENONG

Last year: 10th, 7 wins (2 outright), 1 draw, 10 losses

Ins: David Alleyne (Hawthorn Monash)

Outs: Darren Pattinson

Coach: Ross Woodall

Captain: Dan Doran

Dandenong’s tumble down the ladder last season – after making a semi final in 2012-13 – was a surprise. As coach Ross Woodall suggests, the team’s one-day and T20 form was very poor, with three losses and a washed-out draw in the opening rounds. The inclusion of David Alleyne – funnily enough from Hawthorn Monash University, with whom Dandenong will merge next season – is a big bonus. The top-order batsman has scored more than 2000 runs in the last four seasons. Dan Doran will captain the side this season with Darren Pattinson not playing. Darren’s brother James is playing in the first round this weekend. If the Panthers can rectify their white-ball form they will go a long way to recovering to make finals.

From the club: “Our first XI had a disappointing season but we had our highest ever finish in the club championship which was a massive positive for us. We had to identify where we went wrong last season, and that is in the white-ball game. We only took points away in two of the 10 games and we missed finals by four points so it’s pretty clear. We had a big focus trying to rectify that over pre-season. We’ve picked up a lot of other good kids from around the region, including Tanner Stanton, who captained the Southern Pioneers under 18 side that won the championship at the MCG. We need to get off to a good start because we were pushing the proverbial uphill trying to make finals last season.” – coach Ross Woodall

CAMBERWELL MAGPIES

Last year: 11th, 9 wins, 9 losses

Ins: Daniel Rawson (Ringwood), Jake Marnie (Hawthorn Monash), Jake Martin (Greenvale)

Outs: Amrith Eldridge

Captain/coach: Brendan Drew

The last two seasons have seen Camberwell fluctuate wildly between a finals contender and a battler, but this year they look to have found a good balance. Have added three strong batsmen to their squad, and with the continued improvement of Tom Russ and the ever reliable Simon Hill at the top of the order there could be some big totals by the Magpies. If their bowling can click, and they negotiate a tricky opening fortnight against Melbourne and Geelong, look out for them late in the season.

From the club: “We’re pretty happy with the way things have gone, we’ve challenged the boys over the 12 week pre-season and they’ve all bought in and we’ve seen a few improvements. We’ve added some depth over winter, especially in the batting so there’s some good competition for spots, it’s really refocused the group. Not making finals would be a failure this season, but the sky’s the limit really. We saw Essendon and Footscray come from deep in the pack to make the grand final, and we really feel we’ve got it in us to do just that.” – captain/coach Brendan Drew

MONASH TIGERS

Last year: 12th, 8 wins, 10 losses

Ins: Dan Rogers (Hawthorn/Monash), Jack Taylor (Prahran)

Outs: Andrew Delmont, Ben Torney

Captain/coach: Allan Wise

Losing Delmont from their batting gives the Tigers a weaker side on paper, but it’s the potential improvement of their young players which could define their season. After adding former Prahran young-gun Jack Taylor to their list it’s clear that youth is the way to go for the Tigers and several players will get their chance to impress in the ones. May not be featuring in finals this year, but can’t be taken lightly and should push some of the better credentialed sides at times this summer.

From the club: “We’ve been really happy with our pre-season, it’s been pretty far reaching and we’ve challenged the players mentally and physically which they’ve responded to. We’ve moved to a line coaching model, targetting players specific skill sets so I think that’s been beneficial. Losing Delmont is a shame, but it does open up opportunities for some other guys. It’s no secret we’ve got a super talented bunch of young players, it’s about getting games into them at the coal face now. You wouldn’t be in this game if you didn’t want to win every game, but we’re more about the process than scoresheets at this stage.” – High performance coach Shannon Young

MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY

Last season: 13th, 8 wins, 1 draw, 9 losses

Ins: Aaron Boyle (Melbourne), Bobby Chawla (Elwood)

Outs: Greg Kennedy (Hoppers Crossing)

Captain/coach: Jarrod Leggett

Uni was in the mix for finals before a disastrous end to last season which saw them drop their last four games. It’s a young group, and similar to Northcote, must work on its consistency – particularly with the bat – if it is to be a finals threat. Danish international leg-spinner Bobby Chawla is a terrific inclusion, having done great work with Elwood, and reportedly has already had a positive impact on the group. No major departures outside club legend Greg Kennedy, who is taking up a coaching job with Hoppers Crossing in the VTCA. Expect the Students to be in the mix.

From the club: “Our first XI is picked and ready for the weekend. We’re looking pretty good and our players put in a really good pre-season. Losing Greg Kennedy is a big loss but we picked up quite a few guys at the start of last season who’ve now had a season with the club. Aaron Boyle is a medium-fast bowler from Melbourne and Bobby Chawla was coach of Elwood and he’s been great around the club. We were disappointed not to play finals last year but there was some improvement made within the squad. We haven’t set an outcome but we know our best can mix it, we just need that consistency.” – captain/coach Jarrod Leggett

NORTHCOTE

Last season: 14th, 8 wins, 10 losses (2 outright)

Ins: Eric Ghasperidis (Greenvale), James Middlebrook (Northamptonshire)

Outs: Chris Dent (overseas), Kyle Adams (Greenvale)

Coach: David Reid

Captain: Steven Taylor

Plenty to be excited about at Bill Lawry Oval. Last season the Dragons improved considerably on 2012-13, when they finished last with only three wins. Their best is certainly good enough – as a thumping 162-run over eventual premiers Footscray Edgewater proved – but consistency is key. The young group was prone to lapse at crucial times last season, and will need to eradicate that from their game if they are to achieve a finals berth. The Dragons are unlikely to see much of Marcus Stoinis, but have recruited Eric Ghasperidis from Greenvale to open the batting as well as James Middlebrook, an experienced first-class player from Northamptonshire, who has 7824 first-class runs at 28 and 458 wickets at 38.6 with his off-spin. Finals is the expectation.

From the club: “We’ve had a fantastic pre-season. We have a very young group and we really stepped up our preparation, both physically and mentally. There have been a lot of tasks that have challenged the group but I’ve been really surprised with how they have been met and it is going to hold them in good stead. Having a young group you need to work on maturity, because in a sport like cricket what goes on between in the ears is extremely important. Last season was one of progression in all four grades and we have set ourselves high standards for this season.” – coach David Reid

CASEY SOUTH MELBOURNE

Last year: 15th, 5 wins, 1 draw, 12 losses

Ins: Peter Sofra (Frankston Peninsula), Keirran Voelkl (Frankston Peninsula) Caleb John Tymko (SA)

Outs: Andrew Perrin, Jolyon Leaver, Nathan Freitag, Ash Perera

Captain/coach: Chris Hall

Four regular first XI players out of the club doesn’t bode well for the Swans this year, but new coach Chris Hall says the focus is on the club as a whole and they’ve brought in a number of players to strengthen their lower sides. Has a clear goal of moving up the club championship ladder this season, but doesn’t look like they’ll threaten finals in the ones. Showed last year they have the skill to match it with the big sides in patches, so consistency will be the key to the 2014/15 season.

From the club: “We’ve been smart with the way we’ve worked this pre-season, we’ve picked out some areas that we felt we could be better in and really focussed on them. We felt we were OK in skill and fitness last year, but mentally and strategically we got found out so that’s been a big focus. We really want to start moving up that club championship ladder this year. We’ve bolstered our lower grades and that will start to put pressure on the guys in the higher grades, so we hope to surprise a few clubs this year.” – coach Chris Hall

GREENVALE

Last year: 16th, 6 wins, 1 draw, 11 losses (2 outright)

Ins: Tony Ura (Papua New Guinea), Norman Vanua (Papua New Guinea), Nalin Napiko (Vanuatu), Ben Cox (Worcestershire), Jack Shantry (Worcestershire)

Outs: Carl Sandri (Geelong), James Damjanovski (Essendon), Daniel Salpietro, Dom Reed, Jake Martin, Rory Collins, Chris Marantelli, Jakson Knight

Coach: Steve Maddocks

Captain: James Lidgett

Hard to know how the Kangaroos will perform this season after so many changes in the off-season. Virtually a new team will take to the field, so you would think it will take time for the group to gel together. With several of the club’s international imports not arriving until after round one it is likely to be a slow start to the season, one which will likely see young players given a chance at the top level in order to build in the years to come.

From the club: “We lost nine out of the 11 players who played in the first XI in the final round of the season. We will be giving opportunities to players who six months ago didn’t think they would be in our first XI this season. I’m looking forward to a season where there is no expectation [for results and ladder position]. There’s a blanket over 15 players who are fighting for five positions in the side.” – coach Steve Maddocks

FRANKSTON PENINSULA

Last season: 17th, 2 wins, 16 losses

Ins: Paul Borrington (Derbyshire)

Outs: Keirran Voelkl (Casey South Melbourne), Jayde Herrick (Tasmania), David Nankervis (retired)

Coach: David McLean

Captain: Scott Boland

Cause for optimism for the Heat after a terribly disappointing 2013-14 campaign. Lost arguably their two best players, with all-rounder James Miller crossing to Prahran before the season began and a disagreement with all-rounder Matt Chasemore over coaching led to him walking to St Kilda. There wasn’t much to cheer about in 13-14 but as a late-season win over Casey South Melbourne showed, there is a foundation to build upon. By all reports the Heat’s pre-season has been excellent, and they will be buoyed by the return of Justin Grant, a promising all-rounder who missed last season due to injury. Finals seem a stretch, but expect Frankston to climb the table.

From the club: “We’ve come up with a different game plan which seems to be working for us. We’ve also rejigged a couple of batting positions. We have a bit more direction now. We probably expected too much of the group so the game plan is far more simple. We haven’t recruited much at the top end, we think it’s time for the players who have been here for seven or eight years to step up. The depth across the club is really good. I can see we are going to be very competitive, but it will take a while, we need to trust and back our players in while they are trying to find their feet.” – coach Ross Woodall

HAWTHORN MONASH UNIVERSITY

Last year: 18th, 1 win, 1 draw, 1 tie, 15 losses (3 outright)

Ins: Matt Goodier (St Pauls Glen Waverley), Vinay Tripathe (Carnegie), Kumar Sarna

Outs: Jake Marnie, Dan Rogers

Coach: Adrian Johnstone

Captain: Ryan Ninan

Long-standing cellar dwellers, the Hawks look like they’ll struggle again this year. Will field a young first XI again, and with the loss of Marnie (418 runs last season) and Rogers (third most 1st XI wickets) they’ll need plenty of their youngsters to stand up in order to avoid another wooden spoon. A lot to be said for the attitude of new coach Adrian Johnstone, the club is sick of being bullied on the field so expect a harder edge to the side, but whether that translates to more wins is another question.

From the club: “It’s been a long and challenging pre-season to get the boys from where they’ve been to where they want to be, but they’re making inroads. There’s been a lot of new faces and they want to get better and they’re training accordingly. They’re sick of being punched up and they want to affect change so we’re raring to go. Realistically we don’t expect finals, but winning five or six games in the firsts and finishing midway through the lower half would be good. Anything higher than that would be exceeding our expectations at this stage.” – coach Adrian Johnstone

Picture gallery: 2013 Premier Cricket grand final