By Lance Jenkinson
It’s not about you, it’s about us.
Cardinia knows that it has to get through Pakenham and Kooweerup in order to capture the West Gippsland Cricket Association Premier title this summer, but its sole focus remains on internal improvement.
How much better the competition’s two juggernauts are this season is irrelevant to the Bulls if they cannot find ways to improve within their own four walls.
The Bulls want to create their own history and hope that will be enough to break up the duopoly.
“We’re just sort of focused on ourselves to be honest,” Bulls playing coach Bradey Welsh said.
“Of recent history, Kooweerup and Pakenham are by far the two teams that have been up there, but we know our best is definitely good enough.
“We’ve got a proud history ourselves.
“We’re the only team in the WGCA to not be relegated from the top tier comp, so we pride ourselves on our history as well.”
There were a lot of changes in playing personnel at Cardinia in the off-season.
The Bulls had 12 new names added to the squad and boom recruit Jake Prosser is a first year captain at the club.
The lack of a pre-season due to Covid-19 was not ideal for the Bulls, but they seem to have come out of it in a decent position.
“We’ve basically improved every week, which is what we aimed to do,” Welsh said.
“We’ve sort of set our standards and just looked to improve in different areas every single week, which we’ve done.
“We’re tracking alright.
“We’re reaching all of our targets predominantly.”
Prosser’s impact has been profound.
A star batsman and off spinner, Prosser is leading the Cardinia runs aggregate and has hit double figures in wickets.
It took no time for Prosser to earn the respect of the playing group as skipper.
“Jake earned the trust of the players pretty much straight away,” Welsh said.
“In rounds two and three, when we were in a bit of strife with the bat, he got us out of it.
“He had a 120-run partnership and a 100-run partnership in back-to-back weeks to win us the games.
“His leadership has been instrumental.
“He’s come from a club [Langwarrin] that knows how to win and a very successful club and that’s part of the experience he brings, so he knows what needs to be done in certain situations.”
Cardinia has used a bit of a spin to win theory this season.
Alongside Prosser in the spinning department is a pair of star off-spinners, rising young gun Travis Wheller and wily veteran Dwayne Doig.
Wheller entered the weekend as the top bowler in the competition with 18 wickets at tight 7.6.
Doig, dubbed a “local legend” by Welsh, had taken eight wickets at 16.2 and entered Saturday with 599 wickets to his name.
It is the form of Wheller that is turning heads and could set up the Bulls spinning department for the next decade and beyond.
“He’s a smart cricketer and he’s a competitor,” Welsh said.
“He knows his strengths and weaknesses and uses them really well.
“He’s willing to listen to players around him and wants to get better and better, which is the sign of a good player.
“He’s played all his juniors here, he’s homegrown and he’s probably been in Dwayne Doig’s shadow for a long time and then last year he became the No. 1 spinner.”
Cardinia has the batting firepower to hit winning scores.
The addition of Prosser was huge, while Alex Nooy and Welsh are tracking well.
Welsh believes the Bulls are “bloody close” to tearing a game apart with the bat.
Just watch this space with Cardinia, the best could be yet to come.
