Last season ended in disappointment for Rochester after it fell to Kyabram Fire Brigade in the Goulburn Murray Cricket grand final.
But after months of uncertainty about the season going ahead, captain Sean Williams said the side would benefit from the experience earlier this year.
And fans will get an early understanding of where the team sits when it opens its campaign against Cooma on Saturday away from home.
“It’s always interesting to see how a team will respond after losing a grand final,” Williams said.
“There’s a good feeling around the group at the moment and we’re excited to get the season started.
“Everyone is determined to take that next step as a group. We had a lot of younger guys in our side last season and they are only going to be better with that experience under their belt.
“We’ve been training for about a month now and I think we’ve been building nicely.
“We had organised a practice match a few weeks ago, but it was washed out. I think it said a bit about how everything has gone this year.”
Rochester will have a similar side to last season with most of the group choosing to stay together.
Although, the return of Liam Ringin after a season out of the game will add to the side’s bowling depth.
“We’re really excited to have Liam back at the club,” Williams said.
“He played in our three premierships, so there is no doubting he will give us a point of difference when we’re bowling.
“As a captain he just gives me another option which could be critical at key times in games.”
The game itself will also look different to what it has in the past with strict COVID-19 protocols now in place.
But Williams doesn’t expect those changes to have too much of an effect.
“Everyone is pretty much all over the rules now and they’ve become second nature,” he said.
“There could be a few challenges at the start of the season with the off-the-field stuff, but I’m confident we will adjust quickly.”
All GMC games this season will be one-dayers.
Last season’s runner-up fine tuned its preparation with a practice match against Moama on Saturday.
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