By Marcus Uhe
BERWICK
LAST SEASON: 5th
COMING: James Trodd (England), Michael Wallace (Casey South Melbourne), Luke Clarke (Narre Warren)
GOING: Harkawal Singh (Silverton)
STAYING: Jake Hancock, Jarrod Goodes, Corey Bevan, Jordan Cleland, Matthew Hague, Toby Wills, Jarryd Wills, Lachlan Brown
Players to watch: Jarryd Wills, Michael Wallace, James Trodd
Bouncing back from a poor 2022/23 season in which they really fell off the perch, Berwick looked set to return to finals action last summer before completely falling away in the home stretch.
Three losses to end the year saw them fall from second to fifth in a matter of weeks, and the chance to contend for a premiership evaded them in dramatic fashion.
The most frustrating part, however, is that they only had themselves to blame.
They had Buckley Ridges on toast in round 13, at 1/196 in the first innings at Park Oval, before succumbing for just 221 in the 54th over of the innings.
The home side had no trouble chasing the target, making the final week of the year must-win against Springvale South.
The juggernaut Bloods survived a stumble in the middle of the innings before reaching a defendable total with a late-innings whirl, and protected their total to send the Bears packing.
At times, Berwick looked like the closest challenger to Springvale South last summer, but completely lost their way late in the year.
Needing a strike bowler to support Jarrod Goodes, Lachlan Brown and Corey Bevan with the ball, the Bears are hoping that Englishman James Trodd can provide that assistance and become the focal point of the attack.
Michael Wallace, meanwhile, will challenge for the most runs in the competition, having returned to his junior club after a lengthy tenure with Casey South Melbourne.
With his arrival, the Bears look set to be particularly formidable in two-day games, as he and Hancock will establish long, fruitful partnerships at the crease to the dismay of bowling attacks.
Breaking free from the middle-table logjam will be critical if the Bears are to make it back to the top four.
Firmly entrenched in that bracket to begin the year, they’ll need to bank wins against the lower ranked sides – something they achieved last summer – and hold their own against the stronger sides.
They failed to beat Springvale South twice, lost the only completed game against Buckley Ridges and Hallam Kalora Park, and split their two meetings with Narre South, showing a gap between them and the competition’s elite.
“We’re going to be looking to bat deep as a group,” coach Brad James said.
“Jarrod (Goodes) will bring up the tail and he can definitely bat.
“Trodd is a hard-hitting left-hander who will give us a point of difference which we probably haven’t had in the back half of our innings.
“We’ve identified a couple of weaknesses and we’ve planned to deal with that side of things.
“We definitely let a few prime opportunities slip through our fingers, which we obviously don’t get back again.
“I don’t think you’ll see us fade this year.”
