Belvoir Cricket Club already has its order of the new “honeycomb helmets”, designed following the death of Phil Hughes.
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For Mitchell Dinneen, who has a lump of the back of his head where the cricket ball struck him in February, using the new helmet for extra protection was an easy decision.
The helmets include a clip-on stem guard to protect the back of the neck.
His mother Nadia Dinneen was also quick to say “yes” when asked if her son would be wearing the helmet during his comeback from a head injury.
She was full of praise for Cricket Australia, which was still dealing with the death of Hughes when Mitchell was injured in February.
The organisation made weekly calls to the Dinneen family for the first month, giving details of the review following Hughes’ death and advice on what Mitchell should do if he continued to play cricket.
The review is due to be completed in the next couple of months.
"They were in the process of making changes,” Mrs Dinneen said.
Cricket Australia also sent signed merchandise from the team, including then captain Michael Clarke.
Australian selector Road Marsh said he would advise all players to wear the honeycomb helmet, but it was most important to watch the ball when batting.
"It's always a concern when someone gets whacked in the head,” he said.
“I just can't believe how many blokes get hit in the head and generally, it's because they take their eye off the ball.
“Everyone says helmets are fantastic and they protect you and they save lives, but I'm sure people get hit in the head more now than they used to.
“When you didn't have a helmet you used to have to watch the ball."
Mitchell said he was looking forward to getting back into the under 16s team with his friends and was hopeful of a big season.
He was definitely missed following the accident and during finals, when the team lost the grand final.
"I got heaps of messages from my friends," Mitchell said.
A left-handed opening batsman, he is one of many in the team who have stayed in the under 16s from last season and remember the 2013/14 season where they went undefeated.
The boys are also a close-knit group who play football together, and Mitchell made sure he watched them play this winter, despite not being involved.
The talented junior also has his sights set even higher.
He said he was is aiming for a spot in the senior Belvoir side this summer and has already started to participate in training before trials for the Victoria and NSW junior representative sides.
