WESTERN Zone coach Matt Crawley will remain loyal to last year’s squad ahead next month’s Country Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Macquarie defeated Lachlan a fortnight ago in the first inter-council trial at Dubbo, and the side gets the chance to make it two-from-two when it takes on Mitchell at Orange’s Jack Brabham 1 ground on Saturday.
Lachlan and Mitchell then round out the competition when they meet at Cowra on Sunday.
The zone side has enjoyed reasonable success in the last two McDonald’s Country Championships – winning in 2014-5 and making the semi-finals in 2015-16 – and Crawley believes there’s little reason to stray from a winning formula ahead of this summer’s tournament.
“When you look at the last couple of years and the success the side has had we’re not looking at making a lot of changes,” Crawley said.
“We’ll be loyal to the incumbents but there are some positions that need filling.”
A specialist spinner is one of the positions Crawley is referring to.
Dubbo’s Stuart Naden, who played with both RSL-Colts and CYMS, is now playing cricket in New Zealand and therefore unavailable for selection, with the likes of Ryan Peacock and Ryan Medley among the leading spinners in the region.
Crawley also hinted those picking the side could be looking for both a top order bat and a spearhead with the ball out of this weekend’s final trials.
With the bulk of last year’s squad set to be reinstated – think skipper Nick Berry, Tim Berry, Mitch Bower, Anthony Heraghty, Marty Jeffrey, Jordan Moran, James O’Brien, Peacock and Josh Toole – the door is somewhat ajar for the likes of Macquarie’s Greg Buckley and Henry Railz, Mitchell pair Richie Venner and Henry Shoemark as well as Lachlan players Jacob McNaught and Jacob Harvey ahead of this weekend’s matches.
“These games will be the most recent we can reference so they will go a long way to filling positions,” Crawley said.
Three weeks ago, Lachlan suffered a tight defeat against Macquarie but multiple individuals put forward a case for further representative honours, with veteran Jason Ryan leading the way for the victors.
Macquarie has named a young side for Saturday’s game, with a host of new faces pushing for Western selection.
Coverage of the weekend’s action on pages 26 and 27.