New Port Fairy division one co-coach George Macdonald says he is hoping to get some Port Fairy footballers to join his cricket club this season.
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The Pirates will play West Warrnambool at Avery's Paddock on Saturday in the opening round of the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association season.
"We're hoping to get some games out of the Port Fairy football players," he said.
"Some of them have been involved in the past."
The 26-year-old said he was the only Seagulls' footballer in the division one cricket team last season.
"That's one our goals, to try and improve the connection between the football and cricket club," he said.
"And get more guys playing footy and cricket."
Macdonald said he would contact some of his teammates to see if they were interested.
The opening batsman, who has taken on the reigns with Bill Feely, said his team would love to improve on its ninth-place finish last season.
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But he said his club was not after short-term fixes.
"We want to take a long-term approach as well," he said.
Macdonald said the club would focus on building a strong culture from juniors right up to the top grade.
The new mentor said he would provide on-field leadership while Feely takes on an off-field role.
He said he would draw on the cricket smarts of previous coach Aaron Williams and fellow top-order batsman Jason Perera.
The opening batsman said bowler Niahl Dwyer was his player to watch this season.
"He's been bowling really well in the pre-season," he said.
Macdonald said he was excited by what Dwyer might produce this summer.
The Pirates mentor reiterated that he wanted his team to bat out its overs.
"The main thing for us to put value on our wickets and be hard to play against," he said.
Macdonald added last season showed "defending low totals is very achievable".
The Pirates finished the 2018-19 summer with six wins and 10 losses.
The squad has been training on Sundays for the past few months.
It went back to two nights of training a week, three weeks ago.
Macdonald, originally from Hamilton, brings strong cricket heritage to his leadership role.
He played school cricket in Geelong, village cricket in England, had a stint at Prahran Cricket Club in Melbourne and played for College Cricket Club in Hamilton.
The former Geelong Grammar student, now based in Port Fairy, works for a fertilser reseller company.
Macdonald said his Pirates had yet to land any major recruits this year.
But he added he was pleased the club had retained Sri Lakan import Perera.
Macdonald, who played 18 matches for Port Fairy's senior football team this season, said it had been the perfect preparation for the summer ahead.
"Absolutely, footy is a big commitment and it's been great to get more involved in the community," he said.
The talented cricketer moved to the seaside town three years ago.
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