Ones to Watch - The CSB Mens Season Begins

It’s been a long wait, but round 1 is finally upon us.

CSB Clubs have been active this off season, with some high-quality signings, and some notable departures. One thing is for certain, it’s shaping up to be a big year.

Championship Division will be one to watch, as the pack will again chase the leader in South Caulfield, attempting to relinquish their firm stranglehold on the competition.

South Caulfield proved too strong in last years best of three finals series, accounting for a valiant Beaumaris, who again looks to be the main challenger this season.

The Sharks have had a change of leadership, with young leg spinner Cam Watts taking the reigns from Sam Coates, who will still play an enormous part in their 2021/22 campaign.

Youth seems to be the plan of attack for a number of championship clubs, looking to develop their local talent stocks and capitalize on strong junior programs.

The fight for the four will be an interesting one, with a lot to play out in the middle section of the ladder.

Kruger will look to lead from the front after an underwhelming introduction to the Championship Division. If he fires, Murrumbeena will compete fiercely.

Bonbeach and Hampton both narrowly missed the finals last season and will be looking to take that extra step in 2021/22. The Seahorses have had some key personnel changes, losing premiership hero Dan Forbes to Caulfield, but gaining former St Kilda Gloveman Jarrod Munday.

Murrumbeena will want to put last season behind them, failing to fire after gaining promotion from Division 1.

The talent is there, and led by their captain in Brad Krguer and their new coach, Jack Flynn, they will be a team to watch out for on their day.

Ones to watch:

Cam Watts – Beaumauris

Lewis Mildenhall – South Caulfield

Brad Kruger – Murrumbeena

Team to Beat – South Caulfield

Division 1 will look a little different this year, with Clayton District and Parkdale United taking the place of Aspendale and Chelsea who have both been relegated. Parkdale will join the Divison from Championship, looking to rebound from a disappointing 2020/21 campaign.

Mentone have recruited strongly, adding to what already was the strongest list in the division. If there was ever a time for them to break their 1st XI Premiership drought, then they are staring right at it.

The Tigers have snared the services of former Dandenong batsmen Comrey Edgeworth, as well as Old Mentonian’s spearhead Darcy Brown, who has strong social connections to Brindisi Street.

If being runners up to Mordialloc in last year’s grand final wasn’t enough to open the market as favorites, Mentone have also been the biggest players off the field leading into this season.

Brighton District and St Brigid’s St Louis are always competitive and will look to make use of their talented juniors while still leaning on their experienced performers to lead the charge. Both sides will be wanting to atone for disappointing seasons in 2020/21 and will be there abouts.

The talent is there for the saints, as seen in multiple matches over the last few years since joining the CSB. When it clicks, it clicks, and co-captains Liam Harris and Lochie brodie will be moving the jigsaw pieces around to find that winning combination all season.

If momentum is a factor in your calculations, then Clayton District could be the dark horse for you. The Clays have earnt promotion from Division 2 after easily accounting for Parkdale United in the grand final last season. With strong off field structures in place, led by Jak Jowett and Rohan Best, The Clays could pose a serious threat to the teams in Division 1.

Mentone start the season heavy favorites to finally take home gold.

Ones to watch –

Comrey Edgeworth – Mentone

Dale Elmi – Parkdale

Jak Jowett – Clayton District

Team to Beat – Mentone

Division 2 will welcome Aspendale, who have found themselves relegated because of last year’s semifinal altercation with Dingley. The Dales are renowned for playing off for silverware but are ineligible to play in the finals series this year.

In what will be a challenging year for the club, they will still be hard to beat. The Dales entered the CSB in 2018/18 through Division 2 and didn’t stay long, moving straight through to Division 1 the following year.

Mitch Allen and Ethan Wright will be the Dales best. Expect them to be a thorn in the side of the teams fighting it out for the top four.

With the Dales ruled out, there looks to only be a few contenders, however it would always be negligent to count out the 2nd XI’s of South Caulfield, Bentleigh and Carnegie, all extremely strong Championship Clubs who are never short of a player to pick from.

In perhaps the biggest signing of the preseason, Cheltenham have managed to secure the talents of local sport superstar Luke Wintle.

Luke will provide great insight into the skills and requirements that are needed to succeed within the CSB and will be a great asset the Cheltenham as they fight for the Premiership in their 150th year.

Ones to watch –

Luke Wintle – Cheltenham

Ethan Wright – Aspendale

Mitch Allen – Aspendale

Team to Beat - Cheltenham

Best of luck to the teams competing this weekend, for the season ahead.