AFTER last season's NSW Country Championships capitulation Western Zone has taken the first step to redemption this season, scheduling an intensive pre-season training camp.
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Western went from the penthouse to the outhouse in the space of 12 months going from country champions in 2012-13 to also-rans in 2013-14, failing to win a game.
In a bid to "increase professionalism", Western has named a 16-strong squad to attend the camp at Blacktown International Sports Park this weekend.
"You look at teams like Illawarra and Newcastle, they train together every week pretty much," Western skipper Pat Rosser said.
"We've got experienced coaches from Cricket NSW on board, and some of our own. There will be some fairly intense one-on-one work with guys focusing on their favoured disciplines."
Western's stars will learn from some of Cricket NSW's best coaches, while locals Greg Griffiths, Stewart Webster and current Zone coach Matt Crawley will also make the trip.
"It's all about improvement. We've had success recently with the championship win in 2012-13 but obviously just didn't do well last year, so this the first step to seriously develop as a region.
"It's not just about the incumbents, we also chose half a dozen guys who were on the cusp last year, or have played at this level before.
"Guys like Mick Curtale and Jackson Coote have played this level before, but someone like Chris Boothroyd, who bowled magnificently for Mitchell last year gets his chance."
Rosser heaped praise on Cricket NSW for their help in the camp, before putting to bed a potentially controversial aspect of the camp.
"This in no way affects anyone else's chances of being picked," he said.
"Anyone who performs at the trials will be considered. We have given the incumbents our focus, but that is about development.
"These guys will take what they learn back to their Western Premier League and club sides and hopefully it starts a whole cycle of improvement for the entire zone.
"Cricket NSW have been fantastic, and they are very supportive of the initiative. They know how good of a breeding ground Western is."
o WESTERN ZONE: Pat Rosser (c), Anthony Heraghty, Brent Tucker (Parkes), Tim Cox, Jordan Moran, James O'Brien, Steven Knight, Mitch Bower, Ben Patterson, Jason Ryan, Will Lindsay (Dubbo), Chris Boothroyd (Blue Mountains), Jackson Coote (Orange), Josh Toole (Bathurst), Michael Curtale, Jacob McNaught (Cowra).