New Macquarie recruit Lachlan Strachan feels he has settled in nicely with his new club ahead of their opening match of the RSL Whitney Cup season on Saturday.
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Strachan joined Macquarie in the off-season after playing the last several seasons with CYMS since returning to Dubbo and will join Blake Smith as the clubs two new recruits.
Strachan admitted the senior players in the side such as Jason Green and Ricky Medway have been very welcoming so far.
"[I've fit in] really good," he said.
"Obviously my brother plays there and that was a big reason why I left CYMS was to play with him for a couple of years.
"They've been very welcoming to the club which has made it ten times easier on me."
Strachan and older brother Ben have the potential to help take Macquarie to the grand final as the pair are aggressive hitters of the ball and genuine wicket-taking threats who will be depended on throughout the season.
"It will be good to see him and play with him," he said.
"I haven't played with him since he left CYMS a while ago.
"I'm really looking forward to it."
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Macquarie had a disappointing second half of the season last season and there is no doubt the two newest additions to the club will provide depth with both and ball, as Strachan was one of the competitions best all-round players last year scoring over 600 runs and taking 29 wickets.
For Strachan, he is solely focused on round one against Rugby who have added all-rounder James O'Brien to their side this season.
"Rugby have a really good side," he said.
"They've got a lot of good players so it should be a good game.
"Hopefully we can play well and get on top which would be great to open the season with a win."
A powerful top-order batter and skillful pace bowler, Strachan would slot into easily to most sides in the RSL Whitney Cup.
However, he feels his role this season is a pretty simple one heading into round one.
"I just want to score a few runs and take wickets if needed," he said.
"I'll do whatever I need to get the team over the line."
Saturday's match is shaping up to be a cracker between the two sides at Victoria Park 2 with both sides possessing an aggressive top-order with Rugby's Ben Wheeler being one of the best attacking players in the competition.
Macquarie have a few weapons of their own with both Strachan's, Medway, Green along with Smith and his brother Miles all of whom have the potential to win a game off their own back.
The CYMS Cougars will be looking to avenge last season's grand final loss at the hands of RSL Colts when the two sides meet in round one of the RSL Whitney Cup on Saturday.
Both sides boast a wealth of talent on paper and it will be the Cougars who welcome back some familiar faces as reinforcements for the season.
Indigenous Australian representatives Brock Larance and Ben Patterson will suit up for the men in green after returning from Sydney.
But it would be silly to write-off an RSL Colts side which features the likes of Mitch Bower, Brad Cox and Ben Taylor who are among the finest players in town, showing why with the club only losing one match through the entire of last season.
All three of Saturday's RSL Whitney Cup clashes will be Twenty20 fixtures which should make for some exciting play between two of the top sides in the competition.
The two heavyweight sides will meet at Victoria Park 3 while over at No. 1 Oval, Mitch Russo will be looking to start his tenure at Newtown captain on the right note when they take on South Dubbo.
Russo has taken over the leadership role from Mat Skinner who stepped down from the role after Newtown's semi-final loss to CYMS last season.
Relatively fresh in first grade, Russo will have both Skinner and his brother Steve along with Dan French to rely on throughout the season as the club looks to make their way back into the finals this season.
For South Dubbo, this season will be the perfect opportunity to showcase the next wave of talent coming through not just the club but the competition as a whole.
After losing Angus Norton during the winter, Souths skipper Greg Rummans has previously said the young players in the team will be taking on big roles this season.
Lachie Rummans provides a handy spin option and is a solid batter while Rudy Peet has the makings of a strong quick bowler and Ted Murray has the chance to thrive spending another season in the top grade after all three impressed last season.
Play for all three grades will start 1pm on Saturday.
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