IT HAS been a quiet winter for the majority of Wagga's cricket clubs with little change in players the the off-season.
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Lake Albert have been the biggest movers with a new coaching setup, with Wagga City bearing the brunt of their new-look approach.
It shapes as a two-horse war with last year's grand finalists, Kooringal Colts and South Wagga, retaining all their players from last year and haven't lost any.
The battle for the remaining two finals spots could be the most interesting with little between the chasing clubs.
KOORINGAL COLTS
GAINS: Nil
LOSSES: Nil
LAST SEASON: Premiers
PLAYER TO WATCH: Dave Bolton – After helping Colts into the grand final with 147 against Wagga City, Bolton showed his versatility in the decider, taking five key wickets to take out the premiership. Was the competition’s leading batsman last season and now Bolton has more responsibility on his shoulders after stepping up to a coaching role alongside Andrew Dutton this season. Is the key to the Colts’ chances of back to back premierships.
VERDICT: In a big year of improvement, Kooringal Colts lost two matches coming into the finals before taking all before them last season. Bolton, skipper Keenan Hanigan and Luke Hillier lead a successful bowling attack last season and are primed to back up their efforts. Went from missing finals to premiers in a year and will have the same lineup this season after no off-season moves and will be a premiership force again.
WAGGA CITY
GAINS: Nil
LOSSES: Rob Nicoll, Craig Footman (Lake Albert), Alex Coetzer (Wollongong)
LAST SEASON: Third
PLAYER TO WATCH: Jon Nicoll – Arguably the best player in the competition for the past three seasons following a return from Canberra. Led the bowling ranks and finishing second in the batting list last season and while he wasn’t as effective with the bat last season as in previous one, he made up for that with the ball. The Cats need him to fire if they are going to keep their place near the top.
VERDICT: Wagga City have undergone the biggest changes this season with three regular first graders leaving and no-one coming in. Nicoll is looking to develop the club’s youth in what he expects to be a redeveloping year but the Cats have been near the top of the competition for the past five years and have plenty of big-game experience to call on.
WAGGA RSL
GAINS: Ben Willis (Western Districts-UC),
LOSSES: Sam Perry (Western Districts-UC)
LAST SEASON: Fourth
PLAYER TO WATCH: Nick Grant – Has one season under his belt in Wagga after making the move from Temora and is one of the city’s most exciting young pace bowlers. Will get better with more experience under his best and the Bulldogs are looking for him to combine with returning quick Ben Willis.
VERDICT: Wagga RSL have had a sharp fall from grace since being beaten by Wagga City in the grand final two seasons ago. After coming last in 2013-14 they just scrapped into finals but will be hurt by the loss of captain Sam Perry. There has been a big change over within club since that grand final appearance with their experienced players moving on and it looks like it could be another challenging season for the Bulldogs.
SOUTH WAGGA
GAINS: Nil
LOSSES: Nil
LAST SEASON: Grand finalists
PLAYER TO WATCH: Brayden Ambler – Talented young batsman ready to take the next step. The Blues will look for him to make his mark at the top order after promising signs last year. Has another year under his belt and will be looking to build on some impressive starts.
VERDICT: South Wagga will be near the top of the competition once again. Have gone down in the last two grand finals but have a very similar side to last year and are hungry to go one better. Captain-coach Joel Robinson is looking to re-introduce more youth this season but they still have plenty of experience with Jake Hindmarsh and Mitch Sykes leading the attack and with Robinson near the top of the order.
LAKE ALBERT
GAINS: Rob Nicoll, Craig Footman (Wagga City), Danny Webber (retirement), Safin Shohani (Kooringal Colts)
LOSSES: Nil
LAST SEASON: Last
PLAYER TO WATCH: Brett Davies – The spearhead return to the Bulls part-time last season but has committed to a full season as well as the vice-captaincy. With his pace he’ll be a big boost to the team’s chances of moving up the ladder after the team struggled with the ball last season.
VERDICT: Been the biggest movers over the winter with Rob Nicoll and Craig Footman coming over from Wagga City and moving into the captain and coach’s roles respectively. Inconsistency cost them as the picked up the wooden spoon after just the two wins last season. Should be the big improvers of the competition and will be in the thick of the battle for a finals spot as they club celebrates its 125th year.
ST MICHAELS
GAINS: Ryan Price (England)
LOSSES: Tom Byrnes (Sydney)
LAST SEASON: Fifth
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ryan Forsyth – The representative batsman retuned late last season and has taken over the coaching role. Brings plenty of experience and class to the team after deciding to prioritise cricket over football. St Micks will be looking for him to help the climb back into finals after just missing out last season.
VERDICT: After making a late charge to the finals and defeating premiers Kooringal Colts twice, St Micks couldn’t pull it all together to make the finals. However they’ve changed leadership and is looking to start better this season. There are some doubts over whether the big hitting Jordan Lawrence will be available later in the season but the Saints will again be pushing for a finals berth.
PREDICTIONS
Courtney Rees
1 – South Wagga
2 – Kooringal Colts
3 – Lake Albert
4 – Wagga City
5 – St Michaels
6 – Wagga RSL
Matt Malone
1 -South Wagga
2 – Kooringal Colts
3 – Wagga City
4 – Lake Albert
5 – St Michaels
6 – Wagga RSL