Barry Dawson
Member
Re: Victorian Premier Cricket 09/10
Barry Dawson's Pre-Season Guide
Two Blues
Key Players: Seymour, Huckett, Opening Batsmen
When Seymour is taking wickets, the attack is formidable. He's the type of guy who can run hot and cold though. When playing at Toorak Park, you need to get a couple of early wickets, otherwise you may as well be bowling with a tennis ball on Orrong Road. If the openers can set up the day for them, it allows guys like Schittler to take the game away from the bowliing team.
Tigers
Key players: Taylor, Jaensch, Carters
Carters brings to the side something that the Tigers haven't had for a while; a contracted batsman who will consistenly play, unlike Blizz and Crosthwaite of previous seasons. With Taylor able to concentrate on batting only, he should be the man for everyone else to bat around. The lack of a spinner hurts them, especially on the slow Punt Road deck. Jaensch remaining a consistent foil to Fekete and Sheridan is important, which would allow them to bowl in bursts rather than long spells.
Swans
Key players: Rose, Entwhistle, Herrick.
If Rose's improvement with the bat can be supported by some more senior players, like Entwhistle and Hansen, then they can hopefully give themselves enough runs for their reasonable attack to defend. They need to make sure that they win every game that Wade and Wright play, just to get some wins under the belt and some confidence.
Students
Key Players: Sanders, Keely, Kennedy.
Leggett's a consistent bat up the order, and needs support from the bunch of guys who have been proven second grade batsmen but haven't done the job in the 1sts. Keely is the perfect example of that, along with the Simpsons, Merrimans and Huttons of the club.. Sanders can play knocks that change games, but more consistency would be desirable. Kennedy's support of Williams was huge last year, and with Ellsmore unlikely to come back, he can help forge a consistent bowling attack.
Saints
Key players: Rowan, Beer, McGuinness.
Depending on who they've picked up this year, the bowling attack will generally get the job done for the Sainters. Rowan has emerged as a genuine opener over the past two seasons, whilst McGuinness can be hard to stop once he gets going. Beer continues to be the best spinner in district cricket, and it would be an unwise man to suggest that he won't have a good season again. He allows the quicks to be rotated from one end, whilst he suffocates the batsmen from the other.
Rams
Key players: Stray, Gale, David King.
With Flynn gone, much of the batting pressure falls onto Stray. I wouldn't be surprised to see him blossom under that sort of pressure, but David King getting runs at the top of the order would help him out a lot. If Gale stays fit throughout the whole season, then the bowling attack continues to be the best in the competition by some distance, and he can help out with the stick at times too.
Panthers
Key players: Donnell, Boraston, Fairbanks.
A simple, uncomplicated batsman, more responsibility will fall on TD now that Newman has left. Fairbanks needs to ensure that he's more consistent when the likes of the Pattinsons and Siddle are away, whilst Boraston regaining the form of a couple of years ago will ensure less of a gap between the best and worst of Dandy.
Magpies
Key players: Hill, Ryan, NE Other Batsman.
They usually bowl fairly consistently, but their batting is too hit and miss. Hill is usually good for 500 per season, but when the others don't help him out, then they are liable to a collapse. Didn't get over 200 last year in too many 2 day games. Ryan, when fully fit, can rip through sides, which not many of the others in their attack can, usually just steady.
Lions
Key players: Duckworth, Maxwell, Dickson.
Duckworth has some reasonable shoes to fill in Knowles. They will miss the latter's batting a bit, especially in One Day games where he was a very clean hitter. Maxwell and Dickson are two of the more obvious choices, however Maxwell is super talented, but has the ability to go on a rough trot. Dickson really does set them up, and is a good choking bowler in OD cricket if he's back rolling his arm over.
Kangaroos
Key players: Manser, Salpietro, Porter.
Salpietro is an honest player, who needs to work out how to get more scoring shots, he gets dotted up too easily. Manser is a quality bowler, who hits the deck hard all day. Porter and Hillas need to provide some runs, as their bowling is honest enough to get them a few wins if this happens, with McDonald being a big loss.
Heat
Key players: Walker, Clements, Crawford.
A bit like the Magpies, the batting determines their season. Miller and Groves will always take wickets, and when Walker has a good season, things travel well for the boys in Frankston. They've invested a lot of time in Clements, and if he can take some of the pressure off Walker, it will be a huge boon. Chucking in Crawford to that attack from WA will be interesting, and make them formidable at home when overcast.
Hawks
Key players: Miller, Sampson, Hewat.
A lot falls on the guys who have played a fair bit of senior cricket before. Sampson has spent a bit of time at the top of the order, and needs to get some runs to help make the job easier for the rest of the bats. They have some decent young kids coming through, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Carroll from Dandenong goes, who bowls good wheels. Miller and Hewat, whilst never guys who will win you a premiership, can form a core around which a competitive side needs to be based.
Dragons
Key players: Alleyne, Doyle, O'Shea
With Peake and Carlson having the ability to bat long periods, and being difficult to remove, Alleyne's runs which come in good time become all the more important. Their pace attack can be a bit patchy behind Hoare, so the support of Doyle and Page to him is vital, as is the form of O'Shea, who dropped away last year through the season, and his side's fortunes did as well.
Demons
Key players: Kent, Halbish, Quinn.
Traditionally, when Kent makes runs, Melbourne wins. The younger guys tend to ride on his coat-tails, although this may be somewhat lessened now with the introduction of Dart. The fitness of big Phil, and the efforts of Quinn, will be instrumental come finals time; in the end, you'd expect the Dees to be there come March, but taking wickets in this time will be the big issue.
Cats
Key players: Walerys, Elliott, AN Other Bowler.
With Davies and Dean gone, Elliott needs to follow up the form of last year, especially considering how quickly the rest of the side likes to bat. The bowling attack suffered last year whilst the Iceman recovered from his shoulder operation; if he is fit and raring to go it makes a huge difference. The fourth bowler has been an issue for some time for the Cats, with a number of quicks and Hart, the legspinner, tried. If they can find someone to take 25 poles in that position, then it gives their attack much more balance.
Bulldogs
Key players: Russ, Lindsay, Hastings
Russ has become a very disciplined batsman, who can set up his side in Two Day cricket. Him and Dean up the order will be very important, although the question could be asked whether they are too similar. Basically, out of Hastings and Lindsay, Footscray require one high quality bat, and one high quality bowler. If they can get 45 wickets and 800 runs between them, then the loss of other players shouldn't be felt as heavily.
Bombers
Key players: Harwood, MacRae, Reid.
Reid's had wraps on him a fair bit, and if he can fulfil that promise it will mean that the attack still looks formidable when McKay and Harwood are out. How many games Harwood plays will also be a large factor; will he be picked for 4 day cricket by the Vics? Obviously Fletcher and Berger will get runs, but MacRae has shown the ability to make hundreds at 1st XI level. If he can make it a third man getting over 500 runs, then they should be hitting the 8 for the first time in a while.
Blues
Key players: Salm, Pilon, Welsford.
Salm bowling well, and without injury, reduces the same-ness of their attack, with that extra pace. Pilon and Welsford will take more responsibility for the batting, with the loss of Ludeman, Sheedy and Allen in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised to see Welsford bat higher than he has in recent times.
Through the art of speediness, and a couple of Cougars, I've gotten my way around a few pre-season sessions this year. Working in reverse alphabetical team nickname order...dougie05;365982 said:
Barry Dawson's Pre-Season Guide
Two Blues
Key Players: Seymour, Huckett, Opening Batsmen
When Seymour is taking wickets, the attack is formidable. He's the type of guy who can run hot and cold though. When playing at Toorak Park, you need to get a couple of early wickets, otherwise you may as well be bowling with a tennis ball on Orrong Road. If the openers can set up the day for them, it allows guys like Schittler to take the game away from the bowliing team.
Tigers
Key players: Taylor, Jaensch, Carters
Carters brings to the side something that the Tigers haven't had for a while; a contracted batsman who will consistenly play, unlike Blizz and Crosthwaite of previous seasons. With Taylor able to concentrate on batting only, he should be the man for everyone else to bat around. The lack of a spinner hurts them, especially on the slow Punt Road deck. Jaensch remaining a consistent foil to Fekete and Sheridan is important, which would allow them to bowl in bursts rather than long spells.
Swans
Key players: Rose, Entwhistle, Herrick.
If Rose's improvement with the bat can be supported by some more senior players, like Entwhistle and Hansen, then they can hopefully give themselves enough runs for their reasonable attack to defend. They need to make sure that they win every game that Wade and Wright play, just to get some wins under the belt and some confidence.
Students
Key Players: Sanders, Keely, Kennedy.
Leggett's a consistent bat up the order, and needs support from the bunch of guys who have been proven second grade batsmen but haven't done the job in the 1sts. Keely is the perfect example of that, along with the Simpsons, Merrimans and Huttons of the club.. Sanders can play knocks that change games, but more consistency would be desirable. Kennedy's support of Williams was huge last year, and with Ellsmore unlikely to come back, he can help forge a consistent bowling attack.
Saints
Key players: Rowan, Beer, McGuinness.
Depending on who they've picked up this year, the bowling attack will generally get the job done for the Sainters. Rowan has emerged as a genuine opener over the past two seasons, whilst McGuinness can be hard to stop once he gets going. Beer continues to be the best spinner in district cricket, and it would be an unwise man to suggest that he won't have a good season again. He allows the quicks to be rotated from one end, whilst he suffocates the batsmen from the other.
Rams
Key players: Stray, Gale, David King.
With Flynn gone, much of the batting pressure falls onto Stray. I wouldn't be surprised to see him blossom under that sort of pressure, but David King getting runs at the top of the order would help him out a lot. If Gale stays fit throughout the whole season, then the bowling attack continues to be the best in the competition by some distance, and he can help out with the stick at times too.
Panthers
Key players: Donnell, Boraston, Fairbanks.
A simple, uncomplicated batsman, more responsibility will fall on TD now that Newman has left. Fairbanks needs to ensure that he's more consistent when the likes of the Pattinsons and Siddle are away, whilst Boraston regaining the form of a couple of years ago will ensure less of a gap between the best and worst of Dandy.
Magpies
Key players: Hill, Ryan, NE Other Batsman.
They usually bowl fairly consistently, but their batting is too hit and miss. Hill is usually good for 500 per season, but when the others don't help him out, then they are liable to a collapse. Didn't get over 200 last year in too many 2 day games. Ryan, when fully fit, can rip through sides, which not many of the others in their attack can, usually just steady.
Lions
Key players: Duckworth, Maxwell, Dickson.
Duckworth has some reasonable shoes to fill in Knowles. They will miss the latter's batting a bit, especially in One Day games where he was a very clean hitter. Maxwell and Dickson are two of the more obvious choices, however Maxwell is super talented, but has the ability to go on a rough trot. Dickson really does set them up, and is a good choking bowler in OD cricket if he's back rolling his arm over.
Kangaroos
Key players: Manser, Salpietro, Porter.
Salpietro is an honest player, who needs to work out how to get more scoring shots, he gets dotted up too easily. Manser is a quality bowler, who hits the deck hard all day. Porter and Hillas need to provide some runs, as their bowling is honest enough to get them a few wins if this happens, with McDonald being a big loss.
Heat
Key players: Walker, Clements, Crawford.
A bit like the Magpies, the batting determines their season. Miller and Groves will always take wickets, and when Walker has a good season, things travel well for the boys in Frankston. They've invested a lot of time in Clements, and if he can take some of the pressure off Walker, it will be a huge boon. Chucking in Crawford to that attack from WA will be interesting, and make them formidable at home when overcast.
Hawks
Key players: Miller, Sampson, Hewat.
A lot falls on the guys who have played a fair bit of senior cricket before. Sampson has spent a bit of time at the top of the order, and needs to get some runs to help make the job easier for the rest of the bats. They have some decent young kids coming through, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Carroll from Dandenong goes, who bowls good wheels. Miller and Hewat, whilst never guys who will win you a premiership, can form a core around which a competitive side needs to be based.
Dragons
Key players: Alleyne, Doyle, O'Shea
With Peake and Carlson having the ability to bat long periods, and being difficult to remove, Alleyne's runs which come in good time become all the more important. Their pace attack can be a bit patchy behind Hoare, so the support of Doyle and Page to him is vital, as is the form of O'Shea, who dropped away last year through the season, and his side's fortunes did as well.
Demons
Key players: Kent, Halbish, Quinn.
Traditionally, when Kent makes runs, Melbourne wins. The younger guys tend to ride on his coat-tails, although this may be somewhat lessened now with the introduction of Dart. The fitness of big Phil, and the efforts of Quinn, will be instrumental come finals time; in the end, you'd expect the Dees to be there come March, but taking wickets in this time will be the big issue.
Cats
Key players: Walerys, Elliott, AN Other Bowler.
With Davies and Dean gone, Elliott needs to follow up the form of last year, especially considering how quickly the rest of the side likes to bat. The bowling attack suffered last year whilst the Iceman recovered from his shoulder operation; if he is fit and raring to go it makes a huge difference. The fourth bowler has been an issue for some time for the Cats, with a number of quicks and Hart, the legspinner, tried. If they can find someone to take 25 poles in that position, then it gives their attack much more balance.
Bulldogs
Key players: Russ, Lindsay, Hastings
Russ has become a very disciplined batsman, who can set up his side in Two Day cricket. Him and Dean up the order will be very important, although the question could be asked whether they are too similar. Basically, out of Hastings and Lindsay, Footscray require one high quality bat, and one high quality bowler. If they can get 45 wickets and 800 runs between them, then the loss of other players shouldn't be felt as heavily.
Bombers
Key players: Harwood, MacRae, Reid.
Reid's had wraps on him a fair bit, and if he can fulfil that promise it will mean that the attack still looks formidable when McKay and Harwood are out. How many games Harwood plays will also be a large factor; will he be picked for 4 day cricket by the Vics? Obviously Fletcher and Berger will get runs, but MacRae has shown the ability to make hundreds at 1st XI level. If he can make it a third man getting over 500 runs, then they should be hitting the 8 for the first time in a while.
Blues
Key players: Salm, Pilon, Welsford.
Salm bowling well, and without injury, reduces the same-ness of their attack, with that extra pace. Pilon and Welsford will take more responsibility for the batting, with the loss of Ludeman, Sheedy and Allen in recent years. I wouldn't be surprised to see Welsford bat higher than he has in recent times.
orter (North)