Neil Kelly's comeback to cover loss of legend Shane Slater at Mortlake

Opener Shane Slater has retired due to a persistent shoulder injury but Neil Kelly has returned to the fold after a season at Warrnambool and District Cricket Association outfit Northern Raiders.

Robertson said Kelly, who can contribute with both bat and ball, was a welcome addition to the Cats' ranks.

Kelly blasted 482 runs and claimed a stunning 28 wickets in a dominant season for the Purnim-based club.

It included an eight-wicket haul in the Raiders' semi-final victory over West Warrnambool.

"He brings a lot of experience," Robertson, a builder, said.

"He'll just slot in and take Shane's spot in the side. He's a handy pick-up.

"He's a bit of an all-rounder who bowls left-arm spin. He'll probably bat in the middle order for us."

Robertson said Mortlake had used the late start for cricket - the season is scheduled to start on November 13 due to COVID-19 restrictions - as a break from sport but was now into its pre-season.

"We knew we'd have a delayed start so we didn't really press the issue too much," he said.

"We've seen it as a break between footy and cricket this season as a lot of our players play footy as well.

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"We did a few Sunday sessions but we're now ramped up into Thursdays and we've been at that for a good month in our indoor facility."

Robertson said the club's indoor setup at D.C Farran Oval was proving its value through pre-season. He said several clubs had hired the facility for use.

"The oval is looking absolutely cherry ripe as it hasn't had the traffic over the winter from footy too," he said.

"It's really just ready to go and we're looking forward to it." The second-year skipper said Mortlake had retained a large chunk of its list and expected its young players to take the next step.

He said Isaac Wareham, Will Kain and Jack Lehmann were exciting prospects and expected the trio to grow again with more experience.

"They're all getting to that age now, in their early 20s," he said.

"They made the team of the year and I reckon they'll look to improve again."

Mortlake fell just short of Pomborneit in this past season's South West Cricket Association decider.

The Cats will again target a post-season appearance in a bid to build on its dominance from the middle of the past decade under Todd Lamont.

"I think finals is our main goal and we'll go from there," Robertson said.

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