The Pelicans all-rounder said the new players, such as Lachlan Boyle, Tyson Hay and Thomas Hunt, in the squad have shown that they deserve their spots and that they will bring a sense of freshness to the side.

“I think that the guys who are new to the squad have been doing their job back at their respective clubs,” he said.

“It's just a matter of seeing how they go at this level and hopefully they do contribute in a similar way to what they do at their own clubs.

“Hopefully they bring a bit of eagerness to our group as well and lead the charge for us and hopefully the experienced players can follow suit.”

Lucas is hopeful the association can get back into the inter-association tournament’s top-grade.

“Hopefully the week plays out well for us,” he said.

“We do have those new faces and with some guys returning that haven't played for a while, so hopefully we can pinch a few wins and possibly get back up into the top grade.

“But, we will just take the week as it comes and go from there.”

Lucas, who will represent the SWC at his fifth Melbourne country week, wants to pull his weight with both bat and ball and is eager to keep his approach to the week very straightforward.

“I try to keep things fairly simple,” he said. 

“If I can take wickets, I can take wickets and if I miss out on taking some wickets, I will try to make runs with the bat, it's a pretty simple approach really.

“I will try and stay fairly consistent throughout the week and try to make some runs and take some wickets and pull my weight as much as possible.”

The SWC play its first game on Monday against Sunraysia Cricket Association.