AFTER just missing the finals last year, Hawthorn Monash University Cricket Club is looking to take the next step.
And with the solid recruiting of professional players Roger Sillence and Chris Benham (both UK first-class players), it would be quietly confident of significant improvement.
Captain Simon Dart and reigning Ryder medallist Steven Spoljaric will again head what is a talented batting line-up, perhaps now one of the most imposing in the competition.
Along with the returning Matthew Cox they form, with Benham, an outstanding combination.
Dart and Spoljaric appear again on the outer with the state selectors and both will need outstanding early performances to press their claims.
Dart has always suffered in comparison to similar players because he has never made a big hundred in Premier Cricket, despite consistently averaging over 50.
Spoljaric has been exceptional in both disciplines without being completely dominant in either.
Both are more than capable of upping the ante and placing pressure on the state selectors.
The glut of top-order stars creates a platform for the further development of two of the most exciting young players in the competition: Darren Dewar and the hard-hitting Dale Tormey.
Dewar, with a district century already resting comfortably in the bank, should really be one to watch. And that is not just for the Hawks; he must already be well on the radar for higher honours in future years.
Young, top-order, left-hand batsmen with sound techniques do not grow on trees.
The bowling will be the area of concern again, although improvement should also be evident.
The recruitment of Lucas Hoogenboom from Casey-South Melbourne, and Sillence should add fire, but overall the team will continue to rely on the unerring accuracy of medium-pacers Spoljaric and Dart for a large number of overs.
The ace in the pack last year was leg-spinner Matthew Hewat, who returned 34 wickets at just 22 runs apiece.
This would have been beyond most people's expectations and if he can return something similar, a top four spot will not be beyond them.
A significant home ground advantage also appears a trump card for the Hawks.
They have not lost a game at home in two-day cricket for two seasons, a great achievement considering their overall record.
Off the field, the club appears to be recovering from the administrative, playing and personnel shake-ups that have hindered progress.
Focus has returned solely to Premier Cricket, and the relationship with the university is now strong and water-tight, the envy of the other 17 clubs.
Significantly, it appears that the competition is also wary of the Hawks, openly questioning whether it has played outside the "paid player'' rules in its recruitment of quality professionals, but also unhappy with the pillaging of the Casey-South Melbourne list.
This is the first time in three years that the Hawks have been on the finals radar at this stage of the season, and the established clubs are watching with interest the goings-on at Monash University.
The giant is awakening.
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