His side is riding a high after beating reigning premier Heytesbury Rebels – featuring former Cat Tyler Schafer – while Terang is set to launch its season after a bye in round one.

“We’re not sure what to expect from Terang – we know they’ve recruited Sam Munro, he’s a reasonable bowler,” Lamont said.

“We always have pretty tight contests, so we expect a low-scoring game. The ground’s quite slow and not really favourable conditions for batsmen other that you’re batting on a hard wicket.”

The Cats are close to full strength, with Nathan Jones the only missing player as he works his way back from a broken wrist.

Lamont said Jones was likely to be out until after Christmas, but the team had been bolstered by Lachie Wareham’s return to the attack after the talented paceman was restricted to batting and fielding for most of last season with a back complaint.

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hodge dropped by training at Mortlake on Thursday night, helping out with the juniors and seniors before giving a talk.

“We just went about our normal training then he pulled people aside and gave them some advice, nothing technical or anything, but just more strategy; more the mental side of things and approach to training,” Lamont said.

Bookaar is set to host Cobden in the only other SWC match on Saturday.