The Bombers, while not yet premiership fancies, knew they had some exciting talent rising quickly through their ranks.
Waaia’s last match in the Murray Valley competition was against Deniliquin Rhinos and in that side were the likes of Jesse and Sam Trower, Mitch and Jordan Cleeland and Brayden Carey — the nucleus of a great side.
At the end of the 2017-18 season Waaia made the leap to Cricket Shepparton’s Haisman Shield.
Club president and star opening bowler Jesse Trower said the Bombers knew it was a big step to take for the small-town team.
“At that stage (when we switched leagues), we had a pretty young side,” Trower said.
“We were all pretty keen cricketers at that stage and ready to make the jump to play a better standard of cricket.
“We knew that in the years to follow we would have a pretty reasonable side if everyone stuck together.”
Waaia's last A-grade flags were back-to-back victories across the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons — Carey is the only player left in the current side to have featured in the 2011-12 premiership side.
Trower believes outsiders constantly underestimate what the town of Waaia can achieve on the sports field.
“Ever since we came into the competition we have had a clear goal of what we wanted to do and that was win a Haisman Shield two-day comp,” he said.
“To get a crack at it this weekend is pretty exciting for not only just our club, but our whole town in general.
“For a small town, we think we go all right and compete pretty well with the bigger clubs and towns.
“The last couple of weeks I have had a couple of calls from past life members and a lot of people that have reconnected with the club and they are all very, very excited about the opportunity that we have got this weekend.”
Trower said the move to the premier Haisman Shield competition had helped Waaia grow as a club.
“It made us a bit more switched on in the way we play our cricket and the way we manage the club off the field as well,” he said.
“No doubt it took us a little bit to adjust, those first couple of years were tough enough as we had to learn the ropes and how other teams played.
“Teams in the Cricket Shepparton comp are a lot more aggressive and go for really big scores, so we had to learn how to adjust in terms of batting 80 overs.
“(We) started to build up and get some finals experience and we were able to build on the back of making the grand final in the one-day comp.”
In terms of what a maiden Haisman Shield grand final victory would mean to the town of Waaia, Trower said it would give its residents immense pride in their community.
“We have ticked off the T20 comp and the one-day comp as well ... this is the big one that we are looking for,” he said.
“It keeps us on the map; for people that might not know where Waaia is, winning a Haisman Shield premiership would absolutely lift that for sure.”
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