Riverside has first crack at the Knights but will be without skipper Sophie Parkin who is away on state duty.

Parkin said a tight bowling performance would give her team the best chance of a win, while opposition captain Belinda Wegman said her side was confident it could pick up where it left off.

“We’re pretty confident... our players train hard and they’ve put in a good pre-season,” Wegman said.

“We’ll have Courtney Webb coming in and out occasionally - she’s not here this week - but we’ve got a few extra players this season so we can cover those girls who are away for state.”

MOWBRAY will take on Launceston under the guidance of Lynn Hendley with injured captain Rebekah Illingworth expected to miss the first half of the season.

Hobart’s Eliza Davidson will make her debut, while fellow Eagles recruit and incoming coach Dana Lester will play against her old team for the first time.  

“The girls will look to gain from her experience and hopefully work better as a team,” Illingworth said of Lester. “We’ll go into the season hopefully a lot stronger and more prepared than previous years.”

The Lions are likely to be without wicketkeeper Mikayla Binns for the majority of the season but will welcome Skye Van Asch (returning) and first-year player Alex McLean into the side.