Victorian Premier Cricket reporters NICK CREELY and TYLER LEWIS take an in-depth look at how Dandenong and Casey-South Melbourne are shaping up, as well as a glimpse into the remaining clubs ahead of the opening round of the second season of the Vic Super Slam Stars Conference on Sunday…
DANDENONG PANTHERS
Captain: Brett Forsyth/Tom Donnell
Coach: Paul Boraston
Last Season: Premiers (from 4th, 3 wins, 3 losses in regular season)
Most Runs: Brett Forsyth: 228 runs at 28, HS: 75, STR: 130, James Nanopoulos: 137 runs at 17.13, HS: 50, STR: 120.2
Most Wickets: Suraj Randiv: 13 wickets at 9.38, BB: 3/22, Karl Carver: 9 wickets at 12.22, BB: 2/17
Player to watch: Ed Newman
Newman hasn’t been in the most sublime form as of late, but his recent move down the order against Casey-South Melbourne had him in the position to free up the arms and send a few to the fence. He found the middle of his Gunn and Moore bat and got himself some handy runs at the back end of the innings. The freedom of the shorter format may have the youngster playing his array of strokes with confidence. The trust in Newman internally is indisputable – his knock against Melbourne in the practice match made the extremely difficult strokes look elementary. Expect the youngster to play some eye-catching shots and lead the Panthers to victory in some matches.
The X-Factor: James Nanopoulos
Nanopoulos is arguably the best all-rounder the wear the Panther threads. With both ball and bat, Nanopoulos can tear a game apart. The accuracy on his slower ball will be a vitalised commodity at the death of the bowling innings and his ability to clear the rope with ease is critical in every aspect of the game. Usually batting at number five for the regular season, the left-hander will most likely scoot up the order again to make the most of the powerplay fielding restrictions and be the Panthers X-Factor through the tournament.
How far can they go? The inaugural Vic SuperSlam premiers have talent to burn with the bat. When they fire, the competition knows how good the Panthers can be. The Panthers made it out of the group stage on percentage last year after winning only three matches, meaning early wins on the double-header this weekend are crucial to making finals. With the ball, Nanopoulos’s trademark slower balls will be tough to get away, as will Pete Cassidy’s line-and-length. Ed Newman has been struggling as of late but the freedom to strike the ball saw him get some runs on the board against Casey, and the Super Slam tournament could free up the youngster to kickstart a run-filled season. The inclusion of West Indian quick Jerome Jones from Buckley Ridges will fill the void the Panthers are lacking this season with the ball. Last season Suraj Randiv was the import for the Panthers while playing club cricket for HSD and the Dandenong culture has trapped him in for the regular season as well, the Panthers will be hoping Jerome Jones repeats the trend. On their day, Dandenong can beat anyone, anywhere, so expect the other top end sides to hope they fall from the four come the end of the group stage.
Squad: Tom Donnell, Brett Forsyth, Ed Newman, Comrey Edgeworth, Lincoln Edwards, Lachlan MacCorquodale, Dasun Opanayaka, James Nanopoulos, Peter Cassidy, Akshat Buch, Zac Grundmann-Perera, Suraj Randiv, Triyan De Silva, Jakeb Thomas, Gehan Senevaratne, Josh Shaw, Jacques Augustin, Luke Kranzbuhler, Jerome Jones.
First Match: Kingston Hawthorn, 27 October, 9:00am, Ian Johnson Oval
CASEY-SOUTH MELBOURNE SWANS
Captain: Luke Wells
Coach: Brian Keogh
Last Season: 5th (3 wins, 3 losses)
Most Runs: Luke Wells, 181 runs at 30.17, HS 53; Dale Tormey, 149 runs at 24.83, HS 76
Most Wickets: Nuwan Kulasekera, 10 wickets at 12.4, BB 3/17; Luke Wells, 10 wickets at 16, BB 5/30
Player to watch: Joel Mitchell
The talented batsman featured just once in the opening season of the Vic SuperSlam, making 23 against the Frankston Peninsula Heat, but looks destined for more opportunity to showcase his talents against the white ball. Mitchell loves to score, and score quickly, and continues to improve with every game he plays, as shown in an impressive first four games of the regular season.
The X-Factor: Dylan Hadfield
The Swans all-rounder has the capacity to win games of cricket, and when he’s on song with the bat, there’s no boundary big enough to stop him. Hadfield has been known to come in with his side in trouble in the middle-order, and swiftly shift the momentum with aggression with the bat and a capacity to find the boundaries. With the ball and in the field Hadfield is also vital for the Swans, and provide crucial overs through the middle-period of an innings.
How far can they go?
The Swans largely played some exciting cricket in the inaugural Vic SuperSlam last season, but narrowly fell short of making the semi-finals after a slow start to the campaign. The club has named almost a full-strength squad for the tournament, and will also be hoping to get plenty out of a host of players well-suited to the format, such as aggressive duo Jordan Wyatt and Joel Mitchell with the blade, and all-rounder Dylan Hadfield who has the capacity to change the flow of a game in an instant. The Swans are expected to reward its abundance of up-and-coming youth, with plenty of exciting talent set to make an appearance and get a taste of top-grade cricket. Getting off to a strong start will ensure the Swans can keep up towards the back-end, and a clash against St Kilda to start things off is the perfect test. Expect Luke Wells and Nathan Freitag to have a big impact at the top of the order, while Nathan Lambden will once again steam in as the Swans’ spearhead with the ball.
Squad: Devin Pollock, Luke Wells, Aaron Fernando, Nathan Freitag, Joel Mitchell, Michael Wallace, Jordan Wyatt, Dylan Hadfield, Nathan Lambden, James Maxwell, Jackson Fry, Josh Dowling, Lachlan Sperling, Ryan Eaton, Chris Benedek, Jordan Hammond, Blake Mills
First Match: vs St Kilda Saints, 27 October, 12.30pm, Junction Oval
CAMBERWELL MAGPIES
Coach: Brad Loveluck
Last Season: 7th (2 wins, 4 losses)
Most Runs: Oliver Gunning, 187 runs at 31.17, HS 69; Adit Pawha, 119 runs at 19.83, HS 43
Most Wickets: Will Walker, 11 wickets at 11.09, BB 4/22; Dylan Hodge, 7 wickets at 20.14, BB 3/19
Squad: Kieren Jamieson, Oliver Gunning, Adit Pawha, Rishab Guddadamane Mahendra, Will Walker, Akshay Kodoth, Simon Hill, Tom Russ, Alec Smith, Isaac Conway, James Rosewarne, Anuththara Fernando, Matt Whittaker, Chris Bridie, Shubram Bhagrave, Dan Schloz, Chris Thewlis, Ben Rowles, Steven Singh, Shane Mays
Player to watch: Oliver Gunning
First Match: vs Prahran True Blues, 27 October, 9.00am, Junction Oval
FRANKSTON PENINSULA HEAT
Coach: Keith Jansz and James Miller
Last Season: Last (1 win, 5 losses)
Most Runs: Tom Wood 202 runs at 50.50, HS: 75 not out, STR: 104.5, Will Crowder: 121 runs at 60.50, HS: 53 not out, STR: 118.6
Most Wickets: Brodie Symons: 8 wickets at 17.25, BB: 3/33, Dale Elmi: 6 wickets at 15.17, BB: 3/26
Squad: Brodie Symons, Nick Boland, Ben Ashkenazi, Dale Elmi, Chris Dew, Felix Organ, David White, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Sam Batson, Nathan King, Rhys Holdsworth, Jamin Barron-Toop, Nathan Harford, Matt Gapes, Ryan Hammel, Aidan Wheeler, Jai Elcock, Mackenzie Gardner.
Player to watch: David White
First Match: vs Dandenong Panthers, 27 October, 12:30pm, Harry Trott Oval
KINGSTON HAWTHORN HAWKS
Coach: Ben Williams
Last Season: 8th (1 win, 5 losses)
Most Runs: Ramneet Dhindsa, 211 runs at 52.75, HS 53*; Akshay Kodoth, 172 runs at 34.40, HS 59*
Most Wickets: Tom Smith, 7 wickets at 25, BB 4/33; Lyle D’Rozario, 6 wickets at 21.17, BB 2/19
Squad: Alex Deuchar, Jake Marnie, Sam Newell, Rami Dhindsa, Shorye Chopra, Visura Fernando, Jack Fowler, Prateek Patil, Lyle D’Rozario, Jake Rigby, Nivin Sathyajith, Matt Acocks, Kaiden Jackson, Ab Das, Kay Rabadi, Zaron Chanel, Dishan Malalasekara, Jordan McCulleuyy
Player to watch: Shorye Chopra
First Match: vs Dandenong Panthers, 27 October, 9.00am, Ian Johnson Oval
MONASH TIGERS
Coach: Sam Kindlen
Last Season: 3rd (semi-finalists, 4 wins, 2 losses)
Most Runs: Scott Edwards, 198 runs at 33, HS 73*; Marcus Berryman, 161 runs at 32.20, HS 45*
Most Wickets: Marcus Berryman, 9 wickets at 11.56, BB 2//3; Fred Klaassen, 8 wickets at 17, BB 4/9
Squad: Adam Amin, Jackson Waters, Marcus Berryman, Dom Matarazzo, Andrew Humphries, Zac Sleeman, Will Parker, Reiley Mark, Jordan Hesline, Kyle Viccars, Jonanthan D’Rozario, Yash Pednekar, Bailey Moon, Krishna Padmanahaban, Jack Trevethan, Sam Mills, Brendan Rose, Brad Hodge
Player to watch: Brad Hodge
First Match: vs Prahran True Blues, 27 October, 12:30pm, Ian Johnson Oval
PRAHRAN TRUE BLUES
Coach: Julien Wiener
Last Season: Semi-finalists (finished 1st on ladder, 5 wins, 1 loss)
Most Runs: Jake Hancock, 241 runs at 40.17, HS 83; Pranav Menon, 157 runs at 22.43, HS 48
Most Wickets: Stephen Seymour, 10 wickets at 13, BB 3/31; Carl Sandri, 8 wickets at 15.63, BB 3/11
Squad: Lachlan Bangs, Pranav Menon, James Billington, Jake Hancock, Tom Loten, Will Sutherland, Steve Seymour, Andrew Perrin, Elliot Bradley, Sam Grimwade, Carl Sandri, Matt Wilcox, Nick Blaich, Blake Parsons, James Boyce, Sam Cook, Yasiru Herath, Arjun Dhull.
Player to watch: James Billington
First Match: vs Camberwell Magpies, 27 October, 9.00am, Junction Oval
RINGWOOD RAMS
Coach: Gavin Kellar
Last Season: 6th (3 wins, 3 losses)
Most Runs: Joseph Loorham: 161 runs at 53.67, HS: 60 not out, STR: 159.4, David King: 84 runs at 28, HS: 48, STR: 98.8
Most Wickets: Michael Topp: 9 wickets at 14, BB: 3/20, Ian Holland: 9 wickets at 15.33, BB: 3/19
Squad: Jake Toohey, Corey Dineen, Matt Fotia, Jackson Freeman, Zak Evans, Tom Stray, Michael Topp, Joseph Loorham, Harry Came, David King, Brendan Walsh, Thomas Rogers, Josh Hartill, Ian Holland, Patrick Ashton, Dylan Tibbals, Matthew Gale, Harrish Kannan
Player to watch: David King
First Match: vs St Kilda Saints, 27 October, 9:00am, Henry Trott Oval
ST KILDA SAINTS
Coach: Glenn Lalor
Last Season: Runners-up (finished 2nd on the ladder, 5 wins, 1 loss)
Most Runs: Jono Merlo, 200 runs at 100, HS 65*; Damon Egan. 186 runs at 46.5, HS 74*
Most Wickets: Todd Murphy, 12 wickets at 9.09, BB 4/17; Shea Gribben, 12 wickets at 14.25, BB 5/30
Squad: Patrick Rowe, Adam Crosthwaite, Josh Bartlett, Matt Hennig, Damon Egan, Will Lovell, Todd Murphy, Michael Delacovo, Shea Gribben, Daniel Meddings, Sam Powell, Mitch Davey, Sam McConchie, Jarrod Munday, Erik Laubscher, Lachlan Holmes, Josh Manning, Ben Davies.
Player to watch: Josh Bartlett
First Match: vs Ringwood Rams, 27 October, 9.00am, Harry Trott Oval
STARS CONFERENCE FIXTURE
ROUND 1 – 27 October
Kingston Hawthorn Hawks v Dandenong Panthers – Ian Johnson Oval, 9.00am
Prahran True Blues v Camberwell Magpies – Junction Oval, 9.00am
Ringwood Rams v St Kilda Saints – Harry Trott Oval, 9.00am
Dandenong Panthers v Frankston Peninsula Heat – Harry Trott Oval, 12.30pm
Monash Tigers v Prahran True Blues – Ian Johnson Oval, 12.30pm
ROUND 2 – 27 October
St Kilda Saints v Casey South Melbourne Swans – Junction Oval, 12.30pm
Frankston Peninsula Heat v Kingston Hawthorn Hawks – Junction Oval, 4.00pm
Camberwell Magpies v Monash Tigers – Harry Trott Oval, 4.00pm
Casey South Melbourne Swans v Ringwood Rams – Ian Johnson Oval, 4.00pm
ROUND 3 – 6 November
Dandenong Panthers v St Kilda Saints – Shepley Oval, 5.15pm
Monash Tigers v Casey South Melbourne Swans – Central Reserve North, 5.15pm
Camberwell Magpies v Ringwood Rams – Camberwell Sports Ground, 5.15pm
Prahran True Blues v Frankston Peninsula Heat – Toorark Park, 5.15pm
Kingston Hawthorn Hawks – BYE
ROUND 4 – 20 NOVEMBER
Kingston Hawthorn Hawks v Prahran True Blues – Walt Galt Reserve, 5.15pm
Frankston Peninsula v Camberwell Magpies – AH Butler Oval, 5.15pm
Ringwood Rams v Monash Tigers – Russell Lucas Oval, 5.15pm
Casey South Melbourne Swans – BYE
Dandenong Panthers – BYE
St Kilda Saints – BYE
ROUND 5 – 4 DECEMBER
Ringwood Rams v Kingston Hawthorn Hawks – Russell Lucas Oval, 5.15pm
Casey South Melbourne Swans v Frankston Peninsula Heat – Casey Fields, 5.15pm
Monash Tigers v St Kilda Saints – Central Reserve, 5.15pm
Dandenong Panthers v Prahran True Blues – Shepley Oval, 5.15pm
Camberwell Magpies – BYE
ROUND 6 – 11 DECEMBER
Kingston Hawthorn Hawks v Monash Tigers – Walt Galt Reserve, 5.15pm
St Kilda Saints v Camberwell Magpies – Harry Trott Oval, 5.15pm
Casey South Melbourne Swans v Dandenong Panthers – Casey Fields, 5.15pm
Prahran True Blues – BYE
Frankston Peninsula Heat – BYE
Ringwood Rams – BYE
ROUND 7 – 15 JANUARY
St Kilda Saints v Kingston Hawthorn Hawks – Junction Oval, 5.15pm
Camberwell Magpies v Dandenong Panthers – Camberwell Sports Ground, 5.15pm
Prahran True Blues v Casey South Melbourne Swans – Toorak Park, 5.15pm
Frankston Peninsula Heat v Ringwood Rams – AH Butler Oval
Monash Tigers – BYE
SEMI-FINALS – 19 JANUARY, 10.00AM
FINAL – 19 JANUARY, 2.30PM
PREDICTIONS
NICK
Ringwood Rams
St Kilda Saints
Prahran True Blues
Dandenong Panthers
Casey South Melbourne Swans
Frankston Heat
Monash Tigers
Camberwell Magpies
Kingston Hawthorn Hawks
TYLER
Prahran True Blues
Ringwood Rams
Monash Tigers
Dandenong Panthers
St Kilda Saints
Frankston Heat
Camberwell Magpies
Casey South-Melbourne
Kingston Hawthorn Hawks
LEADING RUNS
NICK
James Billington (Prahran True Blues)
TYLER
Ed Newman (Dandenong Panthers)
LEADING WICKETS
NICK
Josh Bartlett (St Kilda Saints)
TYLER
Matt Fotia (Ringwood Rams)
PLAYER OF SERIES
NICK
Ian Holland (Ringwood Rams)
TYLER
Matt Fotia (Ringwood Rams)
