RYAN McArdle has been around the traps long enough to know overthinking cricket does no good.
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The West Warrnambool batsman, a father-of-one, likes to "time his run" to focus on the sport at the back-end of his week.
It's especially important given McArdle - an espresso machine mechanic - spends hours on the road for work.
"Having a young family, on Sunday - win or loss - you trying to avoid it early in the week," he said.
"I'm on training on Thursday nights so I'm trying to just time my run with it. I've got a keen interest in playing but that's the way I've done it as I've gotten a bit older, not using up too much energy early in the week.
Almost every year I've played at West we've been slow starters and then sort of played better cricket as the year gets on.
- Ryan McArdle
"I think accepting the lows of the sport and bad times and that, you've got to try to accept you will fail or not do as well as you'd like from time to time rather than dwelling on it in the car, driving around."
McArdle's Panthers are, like the number five batsman, leaving their run late but making it mighty.
They started slowly - losing three of their first four - but find themselves fifth after two strong victories on the trot.
"I reckon our bowling has definitely started to stack up," he said.
"Almost every year I've played at West - this'll be my third - we've been slow starters and then sort of played better cricket as the year gets on.
"It's not so much like relaxing or do-or-die or pressure or anything, it's just that once we get our standards right we don't sort of fall away.
"The next couple of games, especially this week (against Nestles at Reid Oval) is a big one but in a couple of weeks the ladder could be down to a top five."
McArdle, who crossed to West Warrnambool from Wesley-CBC, said he was keen to see the Panthers' youth get a shot at finals action.
"The hours that Al Templeton puts into his coaching and the people doing the hard work around the club, it'd mean a lot to me to see people like that getting a chance at finals than myself individually," he said.
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"There's a lot of work that goes into it, 12 months of the year, so I'd just love to see everyone get a chance at it.
"Especially the younger lads in the team. Joe Nyikos, Fletcher Cozens and Hayden McGovern. It'd be just good to see that."
West Warrnambool has made one change for its clash with Nestles on Saturday. The injured Tyler Fowler will have a week off while Indian-born spinner Akshay Kapadia will return as another spin option.
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