By Tara Murray
After a big off season, Greenvale Kangaroos are ready to kick off their Victorian Premier Cricket season.
The Kangaroos have been busy behind the scenes and have a new coach, increased coaching support and a number of changes on field.
The club announced the signing of Matthew Love as playing coach early in the piece, before adding long-time premier cricket coach Peter Di Venuto as director of cricket and former New South Wales coach Trent Johnson as director of coaching.
Love said both appointments bring a lot of experience to the club.
“With the amount of experience they bring, the players are feeding off them,” he said.
“The players are getting the benefits during sessions. Trent, with his bowling experience and senior coaching experience, and Peter has a wealth of knowledge … there’s huge benefits for the players.”
Love said he was also making the most of Di Venuto and Johnson’s experience, with Peter helping out with training structures to get the best out of the players.
The Kangaroos will field a slightly different line-up this season, with a few young stars leaving in the off season including Jordan Buckingham, James Rosewarne and Ryan Stingel.
Love, who will also captain the side, was the first inclusion. Anthony Barton, who played for the Kangaroos’ Victorian Turf Cricket Association side the past two seasons, returns to premier cricket.
James Usher has moved back from Sydney and will link up with the Kangaroos, having played several years with the club.
Luke Sandy, who was limited by injuries last season, is expected to be part of the first XI, while Andrew Brennan, who has come across from Essendon, is another one looking for a spot.
Love said the Kangaroos would be looking for more consistency, after finishing at the bottom of the ladder last season.
“We look pretty strong and we will play to our strengths. We’ve got a strong fielding group and we will apply a lot of pressure and hopefully make a lot of runs.
“Some of the guys who have been there, have had enough of finishing down the bottom. The aim is to be competitive.”
