By Nick Creely
Casey-South Melbourne coach Will Carr believes his Swans will be ready and raring to go when the Victorian Premier Cricket season finally gets a start in the coming weeks
As each Premier Cricket club patiently waits for the 13 November season start which was just announced by Cricket Victoria – in a one-day format once again – Carr said the hunger of his group is palpable to get back out there despite the possibility of limited preparation.
Carr said the Swans were well placed, fully-fit and raring to get stuck into the action after a strong off-season which saw the club recruit Gippsland run machine Jordan Gilmore, reigning DDCA Wookey Medalist Ruwantha Kellepotha from Berwick, as well as gun spinner Luke Shelton from Sydney Premier Cricket.
And with stable development expected underneath, and a strong core of senior players such as Devin Pollock, skipper Michael Wallace, Lachie Sperling, Nathan Lambden, Jackson Fry and Callum Dodson all set to go around again, Carr expects a tight race for spots heading into the opening round which is now only a matter of weeks away.
“We’ve recruited a couple of handy players who we expect to feature in round 1 – there’ll be a few who miss out,” he said.
“Adding Jordy Gilmore, we could have three new faces, so 14 doesn’t go into 11, so there will be a few unlucky guys, but that’s what we want.
“We wanted more depth and experience and allow some of our developing players to develop properly.”
Carr said that while not having the full group together has provided its share of challenges in the pre-season, plans for the 2021/22 season were going well as they look to find the right mix.
“Certainly as planning goes, you still talk on Zoom and on the phone – we haven’t been able to get a good understanding of form wise, but that’s a bit more to do with the lower grades to see how they’re developing,” he said.
“That’s where it hurts you the most not being able to work with these guys in the pre-season – we’ve managed to get into small groups, so the planning is going well.
“Coming into Round 1, there will be no excuses. It’ll be competitive for a couple of spots.”
Carr said while not confirmed, he expects all-rounder Lachie Sperling to feature at the top again with boom youngster Ashley Chandrasinghe, and believes the middle-order has what it takes to do some real damage.
“Sperlo, as everyone would agree, is a super talent, and he’d be the first to admit he hasn’t fulfilled that just yet,” he said.
“But I’m confident that he can deliver at the top – he’s a very good player. He’s working hard on turning his 30s into 50s and beyond.
“We’re not 100 per cent settled but that middle order is strong. Shelts (Luke Shelton) will come in seven or eight and is an option at the top too depending on the situation of the game so that’s exciting.”
On Chandrasinghe – who once again racked up the runs in Darwin during the Victorian off-season but has returned home for a break before the season – Carr said that there was every reason to be very excited.
“I don’t want to get too carried away, but just looking at him in a few nets sessions, he just looks unbelievable,” he said.
Another interesting selection puzzle for Carr and his coaches to navigate in the lead-up to Round 1 is the bowling mix.
With an abundance of spinners such as Ashvin Adihetty, Lachie Sperling, Luke Shelton, Isaiah Jassal, Ruwantha Kellepotha, Harrish Kannan all set to push for selection, alongside quicks Nathan Lambden, Jackson Fry, Cal Dodson, Justin Lambden and Ev Allaway, Carr admitted there was plenty to ponder.
“It’s a good problem to have – we’ll go in with what we think is the best balance and what will win us the game,” he said.
“Last year we went in with two quicks sometimes, if Lambden, Fry, Dodson are fit they probably get selected but they didn’t all quite get together last year.
“We might find ourselves going with four spinners – you need six bowling options in one-dayers so we realistically could play Kellepotha, Adihetty, Sperling, Shelton in the same side, but it also gives us an option to develop properly.
“You’ve got to keep a good eye on what’s best for their development and not just the mantle of being a first XI player all the time.”
The Swans – at this stage – are expected to host Melbourne Uni in Round 1 after Cricket Victoria announced on Wednesday that the season will begin on the weekend of 13 and 14 November.
This season will comprise of 16 one-day matches for men plus finals, 14 one-day matches for women plus, with the Vic SuperSlam Twenty20 tournament also back, with three pools of six teams to play five matches and finals commencing Tuesday 30 November.
