A swathe of recruits and burgeoning junior group has spurred Katunga to reinstate its A-grade side, marking its return to the MVCA top flight for the first time in four seasons.
Dan Henderson will co-coach alongside Katamatite addition Braydon Beaton, while Berrigan all-rounder Jacob Bartlett has also jumped across.
The Swans have added some height to its bowling stocks with Hamish McGregor (Shepparton Youth Club United) and former Camberwell under-18 Hugh Duncan on board, while England all-rounder James Tierney stands as the club’s import, hailing from Middleton Cricket Club.
“We were up there (A-grade) a couple of years ago, but just lost too many local players,” Henderson said.
“We've got some really good juniors coming through, and we recruited about seven or eight new players.
“Hopefully, we get some wins early and get some confidence going and, hopefully, it snowball’s from there.”
Henderson said the club was well-placed with three senior sides and two in the junior competition, saying it was “now or never” to make a go at consolidating Katunga’s position.
“We’re only a small town of 500 people so it's pretty hard to compete with the bigger towns,” he said.
“We’re in a really good position with a really good committee, and it's sort of now or never.”
Waiting for the Swans first-up on their A-grade return is none other than Cobram.
One of the dominant MVCA teams of recent times, winning five of the past seven flags, the Tigers are hunting a three-peat of premierships, with a strong portion of the team that defeated Deniliquin in the grand final staying on.
Jimmy Daniel and Hugh Hyde will captain, under the auspices of co-coaches Lachlan Hyde and Adam Harwood.
Star Shaun Downie, one of last season’s grand final heroes with a pivotal 84-run innings, is also reported to be going around for another season.
After narrowly missing out on finals, Katamatite is making a move under new co-coaches Ben Lukies and Rohan Allport.
Brandon Nicholls will skipper the A-grade side, while Katty has also added Corowa big hitter Lachlan Raggett and Irish batters Ewan Wilson and Jude Keates.
The availability of leading wicket-taker Kepler Lukies, who snared 36 over the course of the 2024/25 campaign, looks unclear with Melbourne and Victorian under-19 commitments set to keep the rising star busy.
Brenton Campbell and Ewan Congues have been appointed A-grade skippers for Nathalia, who will be aiming to rectify their semi-final defeat to Cobram.
The first round will be one-day cricket fixtures on Saturday, October 11.
Murray Valley Cricket Association round one
Barooga vs Tocumwal, Barooga Reserve
Katamatite vs Deniliquin, Katamatite Reserve
Katunga vs Cobram, Katunga Recreation Reserve
Nathalia - BYE
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