“Definitely when we came into it, if you had said that we’d be where we are, we certainly would have taken that,” he said.

It has a five-four record.

Corowa hosts the other newcomer to district level in Lavington, which is second (7-1).

“They’ve got some experienced players who’ve played some provincial cricket, that’s going to be a bit of a challenge,” Lane said.

The Panthers boast a number of former top-level players, including Raiders’ recruit Joel Felmingham, who boasts a provincial hat-trick.

Meanwhile, two players who received hefty bans are eligible to return.

Eskdale’s Jye Hodgkin and Yackandandah’s Daniel Atwell were banned until January 1 after being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.