By Jonty Ralphsmith
Cardinia
2023-24 ladder position: 4th
2023-24 leading runscorer: Morteza Ali (622) (departed)
2023-24 leading wicket-taker: Travis Wheller (31)
Ins: Mark Cooper, Jack Burchill, Trishane De Silva, Yohan Arumadura
Outs: Morteza Ali, Dean Henwood
The storyline: Stalwart all-rounder Mark Cooper is returning to his home club as captain-coach for the 2024-25 season after spending time at various clubs in the last decade, most recently Beaconsfield which he guided to a Turf 2 premiership in 2022-23. A key focus of Cooper’s will be on connecting traditional Cardinia values with the present, confident that doing so would allow a club which finished fourth last season to take the next step. “I felt like they lost a bit of the old Cardinia and that was something I could bring back,” Cooper said. “It’s been about connecting the old and the new. I want to acknowledge the past and do that really well and re-engaging with past supporters and life members.” How the recruits fare on synthetic in the early part of the season will be an interesting watch, with all four transferring from turf club Beaconsfield. Cooper noted Travis Wheller and Matt Welsh as players ready to step out of the shadow of the now departed Morteza Ali, who leaves a big hole in the batting order, after averaging 52 last year.
Club quote
Captain-coach Mark Cooper: “I watched them in the semi last year. They needed a reboot I think and a different message was a bit of a selling point. I want them to get back to competing in a strong and respectful way in the field. There’ll be a couple of tweaks in the approach .”
Prediction: 3rd
