The News analyses the ins, outs, and prospects of the Haisman Shield’s 11 clubs
Put the pads on and give the Kookaburra a shine - Cricket Shepparton is back.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The association’s top division, the Haisman Shield, has an altered look for the summer with Nagambie pulling out of the running, leaving 11 clubs ready to crack into the heat of action for premiership glory.
So, ahead of the first swing of the willow, we compiled a full list of ins, outs, comments and predictions for your reading enjoyment.
Central Park-St Brendan’s
2025-26 finish: Second (9-2)
Ins: N/A
Outs: Connor Hayes (Melbourne)
Club comment: Rhiley Lau (captain)
“We’ve had a couple of changes to the side which will present opportunities for a couple of the young guys.
“Hayesy (Connor Hayes) has gone back to Melbourne to play Premier Cricket.
“It will be a bit of a younger side this year as opposed to what we’ve had in the past few. We’re aiming to be play finals cricket but also get provide exposure for the young guys at A-grade level.
“Just finding that balance between being competitive as well as mixing young guys in at the same time will be important.”
Prediction: Second
An experienced Central Park-St Brendan’s walloped its way to the one-day grand final and the penultimate clash of the Haisman Shield season.
However, after leaving another flag on the cutting room floor, one thing is for certain – the wounded Tigers will make everyone wary.
The competition’s top-scoring team has lost the services of premier cricket-bound batter Connor Hayes after whacking more than 450 runs and averaging 64, but with powerful left-hander Tyler Larkin still an ever-present threat, CPStB will look inwards to plug the hole.
Newly appointed skipper Rhiley Lau has touted further opportunities for the club’s rising stars, while the veteran seam duo of Ramadan Yze and Dwain Vidler boasted more than 70 wickets between them last start.
Spin king Jarrod Wakeling may yet hold the key for the Tigers; he played only two games before Christmas following a season where he collected more than 50 poles, and when he returned, he managed to wrestle 18 wickets.
Karramomus
2025-26 finish: Fourth (7-4)
Ins: Dylan Hardy (Pine Lodge)
Outs: Bailey Simpson (Katandra)
Club comment: Nathan Jones (captain)
“We finished strongly and we've started to build over the last couple of years, so this year will hopefully be another step in the right direction.
“Finishing where we did last year hurt; we fell short chasing 170 and we thought we were right in the game, but we just stumbled at the end.
“We want to push hard to be a really, really tough side to beat. Everyone's goal is to win it at the end of the year and that's no different to us.
“Our fielding and bowling has been exceptional but we really need make sure that we start getting value for our time at the crease, cashing in on 30s and 40s and getting 50 and 60 consistently.
“The batting is the key; if we can get our batting right then the other things take care of themselves.”
Prediction: Sixth
Karramomus heads into its 150th season with a decade-long finals drought snapped and a solid foundation on which to make an assault on the Haisman Shield.
But stumbling at the preliminary final hurdle stung a determined Bloods outfit, and there will be a sense of retribution in the step of the Vibert Reserve natives.
Crafty all-rounder Bailey Simpson has returned to Katandra, but the Bloods have made an important addition to head off the gap between their, at times, fluctuating batting.
Dylan Hardy, Pine Lodge’s star batting import of last season, will call Karramomus home bringing with him more than 400 runs and a reputation as one of Cricket Shepparton’s rising stars.
Mitch McGrath and Declan Newbound will be two key pieces of the batting puzzle again, while pace ace Lachie Keady, third in last year’s Lightfoot Medal, holds the key with the ball.
After coming so close to grand final glory, can the milestone Bloods snap a 13-year A-grade premiership drought?
Katandra
2025-26 finish: Eighth (4-7)
Ins: Bailey Simpson (Karramomus), Tino Fernando (Old Students), Jedd Wright (returning), Andrew Riordan (return from injury)
Outs: None
Club comment: Jedd Wright (coach)
“We want to play finals. If our best players are on the park, we’ve got the squad to be there.”
“With Bailey and Tino coming in, we have bolstered our bowling attack, but we’re also backing our depth to bowl tight for an extended period.”
“I think a few of the more mature heads like Corey Hickford and Brady Black are due to step up and take the mantle as our best players.”
Prediction: Fourth
After a season coupled with star player loss such as 2024-25 club leading run scorer Andrew Riordan sidelined and Bailey Simpson taking a year at Karramomus, Katandra fell to eighth in 2025-26 after finals the year prior.
This season, expect the Eagles to fly again.
Star players return, plus the signing of previous Old Students import Tino Fernando is a striking addition to the first XI – Fernando finished with 20 wickets (equal-10 th ) for the Students last summer, while Simpson took 19 scalps, adding extra firepower to a bowling attack that already boasts Corey Hickford (22 wickets in 2025-26).
Ben Pedretti is back too after he led the batting charge with 434 runs (sixth-most in the comp).
Importantly for the Eagles, they lose no players in the off-season, maintaining the young core exposed to A-grade cricket in the summer while experienced Eagles mended injuries.
24 players featured at A-grade level for Katandra last season – the only club to feature more at the topflight was Pine Lodge (26).
The combination of ready-made locals and blooded up-and-comers is an exciting prospect for Katandra this summer.
Kyabram
2025-26 finish: Premier (10-1)
Ins: Elliott Griffiths (England), Gus Byrne (Central Park-St Brendan’s), Ethan Hart (return from injury)
Outs: Louis Sabbagh-Holt, Kyle Fitzgerald
Club comment: Jackson McLay (coach)
“Louis (Sabbagh-Holt) can’t make it over this year because of visa issues, and he is a pretty big loss and leaves some big shoes to fill, but I’m very confident in the bowlers we’ve got.”
“I’ve been really happy with pre-season, a few boys play footy and went deep into finals but have been turning up at least once a week to train since August.”
“We’re pretty optimistic of where we could go again.”
Prediction: First
Kyabram will be around the mark again for the Haisman Shield premiership but will line-up a little differently this summer.
The Redbacks lose spin master Louis Sabbagh-Holt, but the club has been swift in off-setting his unavailability by signing another English spin import, left-arm bowler Elliott Griffiths.
The Redbacks aren’t shy of guns though.
Three of the top 10 Haisman Shield wicket takers were Kyabram bowlers last season, Jackson McLay and Samuel Langley equal-second with 39 wickets and Charlie McLay ranked seventh with 26 poles.
As for the batting, the Redbacks hold the 2025-26 top run scorer Kyle Mueller, who averaged 61 with the willow, while Paul Parsons ranked ninth in the comp with 399 runs for the season.
Young gun batter Gus Byrne also arrives from Central Park-St Brendan’s and is highly touted, having played at the highest level of under-16s Victorian cricket last year for Footscray in the WJ Dowling Shield.
So while there has been a little bit of turnover for the red and black, the reigning premier’s talent hasn’t lessened any more.
Mooroopna
2025-26 finish: 10th (4-7)
Ins: Jake Wright (Rochester), Zaman Shafi (overseas), Jake Baker
Outs: Henry Barrow
Club comment: Cyrus Shafi (coach)
“We’ve been setting some key foundations and some principles we want to stick with this year.
“Fearless cricket is the way we want to play. I’ve only played one year at Mooroopna but we’ve probably been guilty of playing tentative cricket at times.
“Playing a fearless brand is going to be important this year.
“We’ll try to win as many games as possible, play some strong positive cricket, and get the youth well developed.”
Prediction: Ninth
After back-to-back 10th-placed finishes, Mooroopna is rebranding.
Incoming coach Cyrus Shafi is encouraging his squad to play fearless, and the faces the club has brought in to embody that approach should help Mooroopna remain competitive.
Two-time premiership player Jake Wright is back after three seasons with Rochester to bolster the batting stocks alongside Top End recruit Jake Baker, while Shafi’s younger brother, wicket-keeper Zaman, rounds out Mooroopna’s suite of recruits.
The loss of left-arm seamer and former coach Henry Barrow after four seasons is a blow, but a pace battery led by Corey Meyer is expected to pick up the slack.
A foundation for the rebuilding squad has been laid, and while an immediate return to finals may elude them momentarily, much like last season a tenacious Mooroopna outfit will look to upset the apple cart.
Numurkah
2025-26 finish: Third (7-4)
Ins: Isaac Chandler (Waaia), Alex Robertson (CPStB), Eash Aravinthan (Melbourne)
Outs: Kody Jackson (injury)
Club comment: Matt Cline (captain)
“We were specific in our recruiting this year of getting some youth in for the next generation of A-grade at the club.
“With ‘Rags’ coaching the club this year, the standards have been really high at training.
“We’re a lot hungrier, fitter and more energetic in the field.
“He’s got the boys firing and our mentality is really switched on.”
Prediction: Third
There’s a lot to be excited about for Numurkah this summer.
A plethora of signings sees talented young adults Alex Robertson and Isaac Chandler return, the pairing hoping to make an A-grade impact after plying their trade in B-grade at CPStB and Waaia respectively, while the instalment of Raguvaran Aravinthan as coach is driving high standards at the club.
This is a team loaded for a premiership tilt.
Aravinthan is the reigning Lightfoot Medallist. Dylan Grandell is a weapon behind the stumps (17 catches, four stumpings in 2025-26). Liam Gledhill is a runs machine. Kyren and Riley Dawson combined for 30 wickets last summer.
There is an even spread of talent for Numurkah to be excited about, and after tasting finals cricket in March, the hunger for more is certain to elevate the Blues to another level.
Old Students
2025-26 finish: Ninth (4-7)
Ins: Emile Haratbar (Nathalia), Ali Bangash (Hoppers Crossing), Noah Muir, Luke McPhillamy
Outs: Tino Fernando (Katandra)
Club comment: Vince Gagliardi (coach)
“We’ve got to improve from where we finished.
“I think it's really just focusing on those things that we can control - last year we probably looked at the end goal too much.
“Our youth is our strength; we're pretty young, so we probably pride ourselves on being a really good fielding team.
“If you have a look at the make up of our side, there's a lot of teenagers, a lot of 19-year-old’s in there, so we've just got to be using those elements to our strengths.”
Prediction: Eighth
Old Students, young faces.
Perched at 3-3 midway through last season’s campaign, a youthful Students dropped four of their next five games to miss a chance to make an assault on March cricket.
But it seems they’ll now have the depth to match despite suffering two off-season blows.
Leading wicket-taker Tiron Fernando has departed for Katandra, while boom recruit and Victorian under-19 representative Kepler Lukies was struck down by an ACL injury during the off-season.
However, the cavalry is coming.
Emile Haratbar will take the gloves and stiffen up the batting order after a 500-run season and MVCA premiership with Nathalia, while 2016-17 premiership captain Luke McPhillamy is a big inclusion after a season away.
Add top order youngster Noah Muir, sub-district batter Ali Bangash, and the full-time services of all-rounder import Ed Pike, and Old Students look set to be one of the primary top six threats.
Pine Lodge
2025-26 finish: 12th (0-11)
Ins: Nate Malcolm (returning from injury), Ladham Kumar, Jadan Gerety (overseas), Kartik Tank
Out: Dylan Hardy (Karramomus)
Club comment: Travis Waters (president)
“We’re still very much in the development phase.
“Hopefully we can be competitive in some games, but the reason we’re in the Haisman Shield is for our juniors.
“Our focus will be putting time into these kids.
“Darshana Prasad Hettige is an all-rounder for us and a bit of an X-factor. Nate Malcolm is only 16, we’re looking forward to seeing how he develops.”
Prediction: 11th
The Lodgers endured a winless 2025-26 season, but it’s a matter of short-term pain for long-term gain in the eyes of the men in green as the continue to develop the next generation.
With breakout import Dylan Hardy making the move to Karramomus, Pine Lodge will continue to lean on its youth to spur it on, with young tearaway quick Nate Malcolm set to return from stress fracture issues and all-rounder Xavier Waters impressing throughout the off-season.
But the Lodgers’ key to pulling themselves back onto the winners’ list will lie in the hands of leading wicket-taker Darshana Prasad Loku Hettige, as well as young skipper Liam Trevaskis, who scored 246 runs.
It will be a baptism of fire for Pine Lodge to kickstart the campaign with both grand finalists – Kyabram and Waaia – in the first two rounds before facing another finalist in Numurkah.
But if the Lodgers can make a good account in the early stages of the season, it may spur them to challenge a few sides as they continue to develop the club’s next generation.
Shepparton Youth Club United
2025-26 finish: 11th (2-1-8)
Ins: George Geaves (England), Hugh Trewin (Caulfield Grammar)
Outs: Jake Callow, Sebastian Menzhausen, Keegan Armstrong
Club comment: Sam Nash (captain)
“We’re hoping to build on the momentum from the end of last season.
“We feel there’s a couple spots that have opened up in the top six, and we want to be one of those teams pushing for a finals berth.
“We’re a young team again, but we’ve put the expectation on to improve.”
Prediction: 10th
SYCU has placed the onus on its young squad to take a few more scalps in 2026-27.
However, it will need to reimagine how it does so with the bat after its two imports from last season, two of the club’s top three run scorers Sebastian Menzhausen and Jake Callow, won’t return.
Tyler Green has visions to become the dominant force with the willow, and a vocal leader on and off the field too after taking the vice-captaincy reins for this campaign.
Meanwhile coach Sam Nash is rapt with the progression of last summer’s leading wicket taker Joseph Hammond, who’s improvement will be vital in a United rise up the ladder.
So can United make early inroads this season without two of its best from last year?
A round one clash with 2025-26 finalist Karramomus will put SYCU’s aspirations to the test.
Tatura
2025-26 finish: Seventh (6-5)
Ins: Krrish Patel (England), Matthew West (England)
Outs: None
Club comment: Daniel Coombs (coach)
“We’ve addressed the areas we think we’ve struggled in that have seen us finish in the middle of the pack the last couple of years.
“Matthew West is an aggressive opening bat and gives us that platform to build off, while Krrish Patel is a very talented spinner, something we haven’t really had, and he’s a good top six order bat.
“We had a really good practice game win against Golden Square from Bendigo, so this tight knit group is excited to begin with a bang.”
Prediction: Seventh
Can Tatura ascend beyond the mid-table hump?
Tatura was pipped at the post for finals action in March, starting 2025 5-2 before a 1-3 finish after the Christmas New Years break.
It was a similar season to 2024-25 that saw the club squeeze inside the six despite faltering in the new year after a prolific opening two months.
Coach Daniel Coombs believes the club has addressed its needs to make the leap.
English import Matthew West returns after his previous campaign with the club in 2024-25, while Krrish Patel too arrives from the United Kingdom as a potential lethal spinner.
Armstrong brothers Jayden and Blake are back to shoulder the runs after leading the scoring last summer (337 and 305 scored respectively), while Jess Petherick and Baxter Plunkett headline the pace attack.
Tatura’s playing list is tight knit and has had one of the longer pre-seasons than other clubs, priming the red, white and blue to burst out the blocks again. The question remains if it can continue hot form into 2027.
Waaia
2025-26 finish: Runners-up (from fifth) (6-1-4)
Ins: None
Outs: Brandon Diplock, Jaime Riley, Will Trower (Cobram), Isaac Chandler (Numurkah)
Club comment: Mitch Cleeland (captain)
“We’re backing our internal growth this season.
“I’m excited by our younger guys Kaleb Gilmour and Bailey Smith, they can be our big improvers with a bit more of a role.
“We’d like to get back to the (grand final) stage, but our first focus is on getting to the top six.
Prediction: Fifth
The Bombers are backing their locals this summer.
2025-26 Haisman Shield leading wicket taker Brandon Diplock does not return to the red and black this season, and neither does second-top run scorer for the club last season Jaime Riley.
But captain Mitch Cleeland is bullish in the young crop coming through the ranks.
Kaleb Gilmour and Bailey Smith have impressed this pre-season as the Bombers have ramped up training in the last month after a “naturally slow start” given the town’s football club reaching a sixth-straight grand final.
While that all comes naturally to Waaia now, the Bombers had a sluggish start to their campaign last time out, 3-1-3 by Christmas, but roared home to usurp opponents in finals from fifth for a two-day grand final appearance.
Notoriously class with the Kookaburra, Waaia will hope its depth means that no Diplock doesn’t change its premiership aspirations.