The Tigers blew Old Students out of the water at Deakin Reserve, and have had a week to drink in the win after last weekend’s washout.
But this Saturday, they face reigning premier Mooroopna on its home deck — and the pressure levels will be high.
The Cats exuded class throughout their six-wicket dismantling of Northerners a fortnight ago and, like last season, boast one of the strongest cores in the competition.
Despite not lining up against Mooroopna for some time, the Tigers’ coach Tyler Larkin knows the magnitude of the challenge awaiting his troops on Saturday.
“I haven’t played against Mooroopna in a few years but by looking at them their bowling line-up is pretty exceptional — they rely pretty heavily on them.
“As for their batters, they are solid all the way through so when you put that together we are expecting a quality side.”
Funnily enough, quality is the perfect summation of Central Park’s first outing of the season.
Tight with the ball and ruthless with willow in hand, Larkin lauded the efforts of his colleagues at Deakin, singling out the unbeaten knocks of Rhiley Lau and Connor Holland as crucial to his team’s win over the Students.
“Rhiley and Connor stood up and made that next step with their batting, taking the game by the scruff of its neck,” Larkin said.
“By all accounts our intent up front with the bat was great as well.”
The Tigers’ coach noted Central Park’s line-up would be largely unchanged from round one, apart from the inclusion of Larkin himself.
He also said the side would be without Xavier Chalkley for the rest of the season due to a move to Melbourne.
Regardless, Larkin is touting the Tigers’ enthusiasm levels to be sky-high at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve when they look to topple the league’s benchmark on the weekend.
“We’re looking forward to it; obviously having a week off after round one is not ideal, so the boys are champing at the bit to get back out there.”
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