Which Warrnambool and District Cricket Association club deserves flag favouritism?

Russells Creek comes to mind immediately and the underlying feeling is that it's carrying the most momentum of any club into the new season.

There's an air of mystery around North Warrnambool. The Standard readers ranked the Bushfield and Wangoom-based club as the team to beat in a recent straw poll but questions remain over how the Eels cover the loss of Luke and Adam Wines, who've both shifted north to play footy in Darwin over the summer.

The Nick Butters-led side has drafted in Hamish Withers and Mitch Grant and the duo are expected to be strong players for the club.

Early on - a ball is yet to be bowled so it's very early - it feels like these two clubs will be battling it out for a premiership flag.

Does format play a part? That's the big question. North Warrnambool - then known as Woodford before the merger with Wangoom - defeated Creek in the one-day final at Avery's Paddock this past season.

It was a comfortable win and Bailey Jenkinson ran rampant. Creek's bowlers and batters are so well suited to two-day cricket and that was reflected when the Jetty Flat-based club exacted revenge on Woodford in the two-day decider in March.

There will be no two-day cricket this coming summer as a by-product of a late start due to COVID-19 which, to borrow a phrase, throws a cat among the pigeons.

Creek skipper Matt Petherick told The Standard this past week the club would play to its strengths and could identify where it was capable and needed to improve.

For the second-year captain, getting the best out of a bowling unit absolutely stacked with talent and variety will be a major step in the right direction. Petherick - the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association's most efficient bowler - is a key cog, as is Jimmy Elford, Blake Evans and spinners Shiv Kumara and Joe Kenna. Recruit Craig Britten will also play a part.

Getting more out of its batters will also be an important narrative. If Cam Williams and Rukshan Weerasinghe have a good season, Russells Creek will have a good season.

But after all that, North Warrnambool simply can't be written off. They have at least three players - Nick Butters, Kory Howlett and Hank Schlaghecke - in the association's top 10 and that's a dangerous recipe in one-day cricket. If it clicks for Butters and Schlaghecke - Howlett is more an accumulator who can bat all day - watch out.

Then there's Port Fairy. The Pirates keep their cards close to their chest on recruits and really came out with guns blazing this past season under Brian Medew and Alex Jennings. They deserve a sniff and to be considered as a genuine chance.

The key for them? Replacing Jason Perera and Sam Wilson. Perera is one of the WDCA's greatest imports and will leave a hole on both the batting and bowling front while Wilson was simply a top opening bowler.

Questions also surround Brierly-Christ Church, who will enter the season under the new leadership team of coach Lachi Rooke and skipper Mark Murphy. Can the Bulls re-establish themselves as one of the most dangerous Twenty20 and one-day teams in the competition? The talent is there and Rooke and Murphy loom as top choices to steer them in the right direction.

At this point of the season, many teams are happy to fly under the radar. They don't necessarily want favouritism or the pressure that comes with it. With a season of short-form cricket ahead, the chance for an underdog to rise up is ever-present. West Warrnambool, Merrivale and Dennington would be confident they can also cause headaches.

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