Callum Humphrys has been green-lighted to open for the remainder of the season as Merrivale fights to finish the season on a high note against West Warrnambool on Saturday.

Tigers co-captain Josh Stapleton said while Humprhys’ opportunities had been limited, he’d impressed the Merrivale hierarchy.

“He’s kept well all year for us really, and after Ben left we thought we’d offer that position to him,” Stapleton said.

“He’s jumped at that with both hands. He hasn’t had much of a hit in the middle this year but in his first game opening (against Nestles) we saw some good signs.

“He’s a compact batsman and his style is very well suited to opening. He’s good on the front foot and likes to drive. We’ve seen glimpses of what he can and he thinks about the game.

“That’s half of it – cricket is 80 per cent mental and 20 per cent physical.”

With Merrivale chasing the Panthers’ 178-run total, Stapleton was confident his men could reach the total.

The first-year skipper said several emerging talents had grasped their top-grade chance and were poised for success in the future.

“At the start, of the year, we knew we’d be young. Both Jeremy and I thought it would be good to get as many games into our young guys as we could,” Stapleton said.

“We’ve just wanted them to play their natural game, and that’s all you can ask.”