A rejuvenated Victoria have identified where they must improve as they move into the post-Meg Lanning era
Victoria ready for fresh start after WNCL season to forget
Victoria have "drawn a line in the sand" following a period of intense reflection and soul-searching, as they look to put their horror 2025-26 season behind them.
Last summer, Victoria not only went winless in the Women's National Cricket League but finished with negative one point to their name after being docked for a slow over rate.
It was a tough pill to swallow for a state with a proud history, and the post-season reviews were honest and extensive.
Now, the Vics have turned their attention to their opening pair of matches against South Australia at Junction Oval on September 29 and October 1, where they'll play under lights on their home turf for the first time.
They are also hopeful of having a quartet of international stars at their disposal, as they look to snap a winless streak that extends back to February 2025.
"It was a thorough review and happened quite quickly after the season," Victoria head coach Andy Christie told cricket.com.au.
"In a way it was challenging to dig up the wounds from the year, but in a really positive way, we were able to reflect really objectively on what happened and what were the areas we needed to improve on."
The review dug into how the team was approaching their cricket both on- and off-field, and helped Christie and the Vics shape their approach to 2026-27, pinpointing specific areas for improvement.
One area of concern was how Victoria struggled to bat through their 50 overs last season, managing it just twice in 12 matches.
"There was a fair focus point on how can we be a harder team to dismiss?" Christie said.
"How are we in games for longer periods of time? There's some strategy there, there's a technical side to it there, based on the individual.
"And as a bowling group, how do we take 10 wickets more often?
"We created a heap of chances – I think there's a stat from last year that we took the most catches, but we also dropped the most catches, so we were creating chances last year, we just weren't able to convert.
"It's been a decent priority for us this preseason to focus on the fielding and bringing that energy and converting all the opportunities that we tend to make."
Victoria also go into the WNCL season with a new-look leadership team, having appointed Nicole Faltum full-time captain with Rhys McKenna serving as deputy, replacing Sophie Molineux whose availability for Victoria will continue to be limited following her appointment as Australia skipper.
"We tried to just draw a line in the sand, basically," Faltum told cricket.com.au when asked how the group was moving forward from season 2025-26.
"I guess the really cool thing is, we still had loads of fun off the field with that group, and often a win-loss (ratio) doesn't represent so much that goes on behind the scenes.
"Rhys McKenna did a power of work in her leadership last season and did some really cool things on that front, so we're still trying to hold on to the good things that we did and not letting the win-loss column define us.
"We trust where we're at with the group and the talent that we have."
Last season's table also did not tell the entire story for Victoria. Amid some objectively dismal defeats were a handful of frustratingly close matches – including a four-run loss to Western Australia, a two-wicket defeat to South Australia, and having NSW on the ropes at 5-80 chasing 182, before their rivals recovered to win by three wickets.
Gaining the confidence to close out matches from winning positions is key, and Victoria got a decent head start on that during their preseason trip to the Sunshine Coast, where they won two of their trial matches, and tied a third with New South Wales.
Christie said the nature of practice matches, which often see teams focus more on trialling tactics and combinations, meant he would not read too much into the results, but he was pleased with what he had seen.
"Each team is approaching it in a different way, they're playing different people in different roles, so it's always hard to get a gauge of how you compare to others, but based on what we were trying to get out of it, I'm really pleased with the performance output and the conversation around the group," he said.
"There was probably that element of, 'hey, we can (win)' but we're not reading too much into it.
"I think the progress that was made across last season, (despite) not winning a game ... there was some good feedback that (showed) we're progressing.
"Yes, it wasn't resulting in a win but looking at the group of players that we had from last year into this year, I think that progression and that experience will hold them in good stead for the season ahead."
Further boosting the Vics in round one will be the likely presence of a quartet with no shortage of experience winning big matches: Aussie stars Molineux, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth.
Their availability would help counter the absence of Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Tayla Vlaeminck and Milly Illingworth, who are touring India with Australia A.
"Over the next couple of weeks, we'll see more of them, and they've already engaged really well with the group and are certainly helping in terms of that preparation piece as we head towards the games," Christie said.
"Having them at training just elevates everyone's standards and everyone's output and if they're fit and able and available for selection, it'd be great to have them come round one."
One huge name no longer wearing the navy blue is former Australia captain Meg Lanning, who turned down a state contract this year to focus her attention on franchise opportunities around the globe after playing just four out of 12 matches for Victoria in 2024-25.
Former co-vice-captain Ella Hayward also departed to take up a contract with Tasmania.
Aussie player availability
Victoria are hopeful their four CA-contracted players will be around for round one, but their availability may otherwise be limited: Australia are touring Sri Lanka when the WNCL season resumes in December, and they have a packed back end of the summer featuring the T20 Champions Trophy in February, ODIs against New Zealand in early March, followed by a multi-format tour of South Africa.
The Women's Premier League in India will again be played in January, further impacting the availability of top players.
2026-27 squad
Head coach: Andy Christie
Squad: Ira Aery, Sophie Day, Samara Dulvin, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth*, Hasrat Gill, Olivia Henry, Milly Illingworth, Rhys McKenna, Sophie Molineux*, Indigo Noble, Mia Perrin, Georgia Prestwidge, Zoe Samuel, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland*, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham*
Rookie: Bronte Leishman
Ins: Ira Aery, Zoe Samuel, Mia Perrin, Bronte Leishman
Outs: Meg Lanning, Ella Hayward (Tas), Sasha Moloney, Sophie Reid
* Denotes Cricket Australia contract
Last season
Result: Seventh (0 wins, 12 losses)
Possible XI for round one
Rhys McKenna (c), Samara Dulvin, Sophie Molineux, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Molly Strano, Mia Perrin (wk), Hasrat Gill, Ira Aery, Kim Garth, Sophie Day
Inside word with head coach Andy Christie
Nicole Faltum's appointment as full-time captain
Faltum was appointed Victoria's official captain in the off-season, to give the group year-round continuity given Molineux's heavy international workload.
McKenna is continuing in her role as vice-captain having been appointed deputy last season alongside the now-departed Hayward, while veteran Molly Strano is also part of the broader leadership group.
Faltum had previously stepped in to lead in place of Molineux when the spinner was injured or unavailable due to international duties, but was left out of the leadership group in 2025-26 when McKenna and Hayward were promoted to co-vice-captains.
"She's been excellent," Christie said of Faltum's development over the past year and performance since stepping back into the role.
"We certainly challenged her throughout last season, and then to see her come back this year and really put her stamp on the group and the changeroom and how we want to go about playing our cricket and what the environment we want people walking into, where we want that to be.
"She's been excellent. As we know Nic is a ball of energy, really enthusiastic and really great at connecting with people."
With Faltum missing the opening two games due to Australia A duties in India, McKenna will step up in her place.
"She'll do a great job at pulling the group in that same direction," Christie said of McKenna.
"She and Nicole have a great relationship, it's really connected and very seamless in terms of a changeover."
Tayla Vlaeminck's return
Fast bowler Vlaeminck has returned as a full-time member of the Victorian squad following her recovery from shoulder surgery, in a welcome boost for the state.
Vlaeminck injured her shoulder during the 2024 T20 World Cup and made a long-awaited return to play during the Green v Gold three-day exhibition match in March.
The 27-year-old returns to Victoria's books after being cut from Cricket Australia's contract list for 2026-27 alongside allrounder Tess Flintoff.
"She's the ultimate professional in terms of her own preparation in her own game," Christie said of Vlaeminck.
"But I think what she's done in terms of connecting with the group and helping not just the younger players, but helping the whole the whole group in terms of their own development, their own understanding, their own thought process around the game.
"She's been excellent to have around, and certainly a breath of fresh air in terms of her enthusiasm when it comes to training and their competitiveness.
"When we get into the contest, she's certainly putting her hand up first to get stuck in and make it a real experience when we're training."
The preseason
"It's been a really good preseason," Christie said. "We've been able to train really well, the weather's been good here in Melbourne, so we've been able to train outside quite a bit and the ground staff here have been brilliant in getting turf wickets up for us.
"We had a trip to Mildura, where we were spoilt by the local council up there, got centre wickets and turf training and all those sort of things.
"Then a couple of weeks later we headed up to the Sunny Coast and played a few practice games up there against a few of the other states."
Up-and-coming players to watch
"We have a few first timers in this squad – we saw bits and pieces of Zoe Samuel and Ira Aery last year because they came into the squad, but they're officially members now," Christie said.
"Indigo Noble, she's a couple of weeks away from going into India with the Under-19 program and hopefully gearing towards a World Cup in a couple of months, which is really exciting.
"Hasrat Gill continues to go from strength-to-strength, and the development she's shown in such a short period of time has been excellent. Bronte Leishman coming in as our rookie player for this season, she's a tall, young, fast bowler, which is really exciting to see where she can take her cricket over the next couple of years."