Woorinen will be aiming to return to finals cricket in 2023-24, with their opening round win against Murrabit on the weekend the perfect start.
The Tigers will have a vastly different look this season. Jason Mangiameli has stepped down as captain after Woorinen missed out on last year’s finals series following a late-season fade out.
Mangiameli will stay on as a player and will no doubt help with the adjustment to a new-look leadership team.
Cooper Fox will lead the Tigers in the T20s and one-dayers, and Darren Rushton will captain the Tigers in red-ball cricket, while veteran Dean Morpeth will stand in as overall coach of the club.
The new look appears to have had an immediate impact after just one match, with Woorinen looking like a much tougher opposition, despite losing several of last year’s playing squad.
English import Dylan Smythe has returned home and is the only confirmed out, while Robert Rush and Glenn Violi were notable absentees against Murrabit on the weekend.
While Violi and Rush could yet return, theirs and Smythe’s absences will leave a big hole with the ball for Woorinen to fill.
At the weekend, Smit Patel partnered the evergreen Guri Singh with the new ball and Rushton taking on more responsibility with the ball.
The other player the Tigers are hoping for a big season from is Mitch Uhlhorn, with joint captain Cooper Fox hoping it could be the young all-rounder’s breakout season.
“We’ll be looking to put a bit more responsibility onto Mitch’s shoulders this season, with both bat and ball,” Fox said.
“He’s looking fantastic in the nets, the last few seasons he probably hasn’t reached his potential on the field as he is one of our best batsmen, but he probably needs one big score to realise he’s good enough to compete at this level.
“Traditionally, we’ve been pretty dominant with the ball, but I feel this year we’ll be pretty strong with the bat.
“We’ve got ‘Deano’ (Morpeth) training more often this season now that he’s coaching, we’ve got ‘Gus’ (Guri Singh) who is always capable of producing a big score, and then Mitch, who we’re hoping for a big season from.
“After losing Dylan (Smythe), we’re going to bat ‘Dazza’ (Rushton) up the order up the order a bit, where he will change our dynamic a bit, along with ‘Jase’ (Jason Mangiameli).”
Along with the inclusion of Patel, who took 2 for 21 from five overs on the weekend, the Tigers will also be looking to promote from within, with several young players expected to get their chance.
“We’re looking more towards building the next generation and rebuilding with youth,” Fox said.
“We’ve got some really talented kids and we’re pretty keen to get the next generation of Woorinen cricketers ready to play senior cricket.
“It’s one of the key reasons why ‘Morpy’ (Morpeth) has taken on the role of coach this season.
“It’s (the expanded leadership group) is about spreading the load a bit more and making sure the responsibility isn’t left to one person.
“There’s three of us that can change things around and impact the game that way and we see it as a positive for where our club is at.”
With a focus on youth, both Jackson Hughes and Billy Matthews can be expected to find themselves in the A grade side at some point, with Hughes a talented spin bowler and Matthews a seam bowler who can contribute valuable late-order runs.
WOORINEN FAST FACTS
WORD FROM THE CAPTAIN
COOPER FOX
“We want to get back into the finals after a disappointing finish last year, while also having a strong focus on promoting the juniors. We’ve got a lot of talented youth coming through and hopefully a few of them play some A grade cricket this season.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Dean Morpeth – One of the SHDCA’s most damaging batsmen over the last two decades, Morpeth has taken on extra responsibility as coach of the Tigers this season. He’s the one player in Woorinen’s line-up every team wants to get early, because if he’s allowed to settle in, a long afternoon in the field is almost guaranteed.
INS – Smit Patel, Sumer Singh
OUTS – Dylan Smythe
