As reigning premiers and untested grand finalists before that, the Lions enter the new Ballarat Cricket Association season as the side everyone wants to beat.

It's a tag Wheelahan and his charges are learning to accept.

"We're in a position now where we understand that we're going to be the hunted," he said.

"We've put a lot of things in place in the last couple of years and we're not shying away from the challenge.

"It's such an even competition and to be honest we weren't playing our best cricket last season. We turned it for a six-to-eight-week period.

"We're under no illusion that it's a super strong competition and anyone can beat you on any given day."

It's been a distinictly 2021 pre-season for the Lions and Wheelahan.

The off-field leader lives in Melton and was only freed from lockdown on Friday. An intra-club match this weekend will only be the second time Wheelahan has been with the group this pre-season.

"From all reports the club's in good hands. A couple of our senior players have stepped up to take training and numbers have been great," he said.

Darley will enter the summer with much of the same team.

Opening bat Anthony Taylor, who scored 521 runs last season, has crossed to Coronet City to play seconds after a move to Queensland was scuppered by COVID complications.

Coming the other way is Dilan Chaminda, who was crowned the Gisborne District Cricket Association's champion player last season.

The opener amassed 855 at a near-unbelievable average of 122.14 and notched five centuries in his 11 innings.

Chaminda, a lifelong friend of Lions premiership player Hasitha Wickramasinghe, also took 17 wickets at 15.82.

The all-rounder's ability will have added value as the reigning premiers prepare for another season of solely one-day matches.

Wheelahan said there wouldn't be a drastic change of approach due to the shorter format.

"There are a couple of things we've looked at in training but obviously what we've done in the past couple of years has worked," he said. "Don't get me wrong, we're always looking for areas to improve and we know we need to improve again to be competitive and to be up there. But, our goal is certainly to be in the top four at the end of the year.

"We don't want to make wholesale changes to things that are proven but we need to continue to improve. We know side are after us and we're not backing away."

Darley's 2020-21 season

4th (11 wins, 6 losses - won grand final)

3023 runs scored (4th)

14 half-centuries (4th), 1 century (3rd=)

2907 runs conceded (3rd)

166 wickets (1st)

21.452 average runs per wicket (2nd)

4.32 average economy (5th)

128 maidens (2nd)