The team that has played five of the past six Wangaratta District cricket deciders, winning four, has lost its opening two games.

On the other side of the ledger is reigning premiers Yarrawonga-Mulwala — unbeaten, including an annihilation of last year’s semi-finalist Myrtleford.

Bruck captain Jordan Blades said it had been a far from ideal start.

“This is not a position we are very familiar with and not what you want when you are coming up against the reigning premiers,” he said.

“In both of our opening games we were in a position to win comfortably and fell apart.

“Those batting collapses have cost us and whether it is not respecting the bowling or not taking our time to develop partnerships before we hit out, we know we have to fix it.

“At the start of the year I thought the one-dayers would suit us but it certainly hasn’t panned out that way.”

Blades said the two losses are even more surprising given the continuity in the Bruck team from last year.

“We are pretty much unchanged, so it’s hard to explain why we haven’t got on the board at the moment,” he said.

“We have some of the best players in the competition, along with some emerging talent.

“Lachie Busk stepped up last week and took the first three wickets and I would expect him to play a major role for us this season.”

Blades is under no illusion as to the challenge ahead.

“Yarrawonga-Mulwala are the defending premiers and have started strongly,” he said.

“Matthew Knights is probably the best player in the comp with bat and ball and Lee Fraser always seems to get runs against us.

“But we can’t afford to be focusing on one player.

“They bat all the way down the order and if you put all your energy into one or two players it seems they have another who can bob up.

“We’ll need a committed team effort to get over them in the one dayer.”

The round is being played tomorrow due to a Victorian Premier League clash scheduled for Wangaratta today.