Epping remains hopeful of challenging for a finals berth this season but is tempering expectations amid a transition phase.
The Pingers finished sixth on the Diamond Valley Cricket Association Barclay Shield ladder last summer after semi-final and grand final appearances the previous two seasons.
The club waved goodbye to the likes of Josh Henkel, Nathan Gardiner and Billy McKeown last off-season, leaving it with holes to fill in the first XI.
President Daniel Bramich said improvement was the simple aim in 2025-26.
“We’re going through a bit of a transition with players and the players coming through,” Bramich said.
“I still think our best is pushing that fourth to fifth position on the ladder.
“The previous year, we lost three senior players – probably three of our top six players. Then we had a transition of bringing guys from the twos up. They’ve been good twos players for a while and just haven’t had the opportunity.
“They got a taste of Barclay Shield cricket, so you’d hope for them to go better again.
“But it’s a tough competition and pretty tight with positions.”
There is quality in Epping’s squad, however, with captain-coach Tom Emmins plundering 498 runs at 41.5 in 2024-25.
His tally included a knock of 154 from 123 balls in a one-day fixture against Research Eltham Collegians.
“He’s a star of the competition. Multiple years team of the year, gun wicketkeeper, gun batsman,” Bramich said.
“We do bat around him, so there’s times where the pressure’s probably on him, but we’re going in with a different game style and backing our ability.”
All-rounders Akash Cheema and Todd Hughes will also be important, while Zach Graham is one of the club’s emerging talents.
Graham impressed with 333 runs at 37 in 2023-24 before returning 143 runs at 14.3 last season.
“He burst on the scene a couple of years ago and had a very good year. He was an unknown commodity in the competition,” Bramich said.
“Then last year was a bit of the second-year blues I think. Guys planned well against him and he was just out of touch.
“He’s been smashing them at training.”
The Pingers have lost Dushantha Ranatunga to Mill Park, while Shanyn Kearney will miss the first half of the campaign due to travel.
Bramich said he expected a hotly contested season, with most of the competition’s 10 teams harbouring finals ambitions.
Reigning premier Rosanna faced Bundoora in the 2024-25 decider, while Riverside and North Eltham Wanderers bowed out in the semis.
“We’ve really got to maximise when we’re in good form,” Bramich said.
“We’ve got to mimimise the gap between our good and bad.
“If we can stay in the contest for longer, we should be all right.”
The Pingers started their season with a win against Diamond Creek to claim the Lever-McLean Cup.
