There was plenty of highlights, big hits and match-winning performances in the inaugural season of the Vic SuperSlam in 2018/19, with the revamped Twenty20 tournament more closely aligned with the Big Bash League a raging success. But this weekend marks the second installment, with the Stars Conference once again looking like being an enthralling tournament. Can Dandenong (the eventual GrandSlam and SuperSlam winners) go back-to-back? Or will another challenger emerge? Premier Cricket reporters NICK CREELY and TYLER LEWIS take a look at how both Dandenong and Casey-South Melbourne are shaping up ahead of the opening round on Sunday…
CASEY-SOUTH MELBOURNE SWANS
Pictures: ROB CAREW
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.
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 Wyatt with the blade, and all-rounder Dylan Hadfield who has the capacity to change the flow of a game in an instant. 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
DANDENONG PANTHERS
186790 Picture: ROB CAREW
Captain: 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.
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, the SuperSlam tournament could free up the youngster to kickstart a run filled season. The inclusion of West Indian quick Jerome Jones will fill the void the Panthers are lacking this season with the ball. Last season Suraj Randiv was the import for the Panthers 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 – 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
