Tara Murray
The Druids are hoping their depth will again see them in the mix in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association senior division.
Having made finals last season with one of the younger groups in the competition, the Druids are keen to back it up with another strong season
Assistant coach and vice-president Andrew Brennan said they were pleased with where things were sitting.
“We should be fairly competitive,” he said. “We made finals and the majority of the squad is back.
“I’ll be good to see what we can do. We’re a pretty young squad in comparison to other teams and there’s the opportunity to promote more talent.”
Brennan said their depth was one of their biggest assets and helped them match it with the best sides in the competition.
He said the likes of Jarrod Parsons, Luke Shoesmith and Aasif Shaikh would get more opportunities this season, while they would likely see a couple of under-17s in the top side at some stage this season.
“Our bottom end players are better than some of the other teams,” he said. “We try and get as much out of our squad as we can and there will be players who haven’t got many opportunities previously.”
Buddika Hasaranga arrives at the club from Aberfeldie Park and will bat in the middle order. He previously played first class cricket in Sri Lanka.
The arrival of Hasaranga will help offset the loss of Michael Hay. Hay will miss the season after tearing his ACL.
Brennan said the loss of Hay, who has been a premier player for a long time, would be a big one, but said it was an opportunity for others to step up in his absence.
Nathan Johnson will take on the captaincy role. It was a big off season for Johnson who was a finalist in the Melbourne Renegades recruit television show.
“I’m looking forward to seeing his captaincy style,” Brennan said.
Brennan said things were again looking strong across the club with five senior teams and a strong junior program which includes four girls teams.
The Druids have had to wait at least another week to start their season, with play called off for a three straight week after heavy rain left many grounds unplayable.
The association was one of the first to make the call, making it the call on Wednesday to cancel day one of the two-day matches that were scheduled. In an email to clubs, the association said there were 39 grounds not available before Thursday’s heavy rainfall.
“The VTCA would like to inform all clubs, players and officials that play for Saturday 15th October has been called off,” the association said on social media.
“With a high percentage of grounds unable to get play on, along with the rain, we will continue to ask for updates throughout next week, with the hope of starting October 22nd.”
The Druids will now face Deer Park in a one-dayer this Saturday if play gets underway.
