Essendon will be out to avenge its preliminary final exit against Carlton

Essendon gets an immediate shot at redemption when it faces premier Carlton in the Premier Cricket season-opener as the Bombers look to go one step further than last season.

Isaac Willett celebrates a catch for Essendon.

Essendon has “unfinished business” in 2019-20.

The Bombers fell one game short of a Premier Cricket grand final appearance last season and are determined to take the next step.

And the club will get an immediate shot at redemption with a Round 1 clash against preliminary final conquerors and eventual premiers Carlton.

PREMIER: WHITE MOVE GIVES DEES FINALS FOCUS

LEADER: GET YOUR LOCAL CRICKET NEWS HERE

PREMIER: VIC ROOKIE TO LEAD LIONS’ ATTACK

New First XI captain Michael Hill was looking forward to the opportunity.

“It’s been a long off-season and we have some unfinished business from last year,” he said.

“Losing that game against Carlton — they went onto win it — and getting them first up will be a good challenge.”

Isaac Willett in action for Essendon. Picture: Arj Giese.

Michael Hill in action for Essendon. Picture: Andy Brownbill

After finishing second to the Blues in the home-and-away season, Essendon fell to Geelong in a qualifying final upset, swept aside Monash in the semi-final before losing to an Evan Gulbis-inspired Carlton.

It will be a new look Bombers outfit under Hill with bowling great Clint McKay hanging up the boots at Premier level, Aaron Shellie returning to coach Coburg and Isaac Conway departing for Camberwell.

Donovan Toohey will replace Conway behind the stumps but Hill said “nothing was set in stone” with the club’s First XI.

“We’ve been using the practice matches as genuine trial games, our order hasn’t been the same two games in a row,” he said.

“We’re looking to get some guys in the team that may not have been previously and develop some of those kids from within.

“Isaac Willett played particularly well at Seymour last weekend on a difficult wicket, James Ryan showed plenty of potential at Kahuna a few weeks prior.

Matt Doric in action for Essendon.

“Isaac demonstrated last year he’s extremely capable of playing at the level but without final selection we still don’t know where we sit.”

Ryan was the Second XI’s leading run-scorer last season with 462 at 27.2, while Joseph Lucas was the top wicket-taker with 23 scalps.

After coming up short last season, the drive to go one better this season is strong at Windy Hill.

Hill said there was a simple ingredient for the Bombers to play their best cricket.

“ Our expectations are always high, we want to win, we want to compete but if you spend enough time around our group you’ll know we like to have fun,” he said.

“If we’re enjoying our cricket then we’ll play our best cricket.”