Darley has its eyes set on finals in the Ballarat Cricket Association after narrowly missing out last season.
A final round loss to Golden Point, combined with other results, meant Darley fell from first to fifth, ultimately missing the finals by a point.
Darley coach Heath Pritchard says they have to build on what they achieved in 2015-16.
“To be honest, we should have made finals last year,” he said.
“We lost the last game of the season by eight runs to the team that won the grand final.
“Five teams were looking for four spots and we were the one who missed out, and it wasn’t by much. Hopefully, we have a team that can make finals this year.”
Pritchard says opposition teams will be more prepared for them this season, knowing Darley’s capabilities.
He said being so far away from the other sides meant they were a little unsure what the opposition would be like.
“There’s a bit more expectation on us this year,” he said.
“We have to embrace that. We’re not going to turn up and just keep winning. We have to keep the standard to win matches.
“We have to keep improving significantly on last year if we want to play finals and push for grand finals.
“Brown Hill has lost a couple of players and we think Mount Clear is about the same. Golden Point could be slightly different as we don’t know if their import is coming back.”
Most of Darley’s playing group is returning. Among them is key player Locky Herring, who missed last season, while the club has signed a Sri Lankan first-class player, batsman and leg-spinner Hasitha Wickramasinghe.
However, its two English imports, Rick Moore and Harry Killoran, won’t be returning.
“I think we’ll have a team just as good if not better than last year,” Pritchard said.
“The likes of Beau Jamieson, Jake Wilkie and Zac Ticehurst will get opportunities this year.
“Brad Barnes has played a lot of first-eleven cricket but has just scratched the surface.”
One area in which the team needs to change is its reliance on veteran allrounder Matthew Cape, the coach says. Cape has been a star for Darley for many years, while Pritchard, in his first season at the club in 2015-16, dominated with the ball to finish second on the competition’s wicket-takers’ list.
“The time has come,” Pritchard says.
“To achieve what we need to, it can’t be up to a 38 and 39 year-old. The younger players need to continue to develop.
“Hopefully, Matt and I will still contribute, but others need to step up as well.”
Darley kicks off its season against Napoleons-Sebastopol in a two-day match on October 8.
