NEWCASTLE representative cricket coach Shane Burley has welcomed a NSW Country Championships final at home as he weighs up selections for next weekend's clash with Central Coast.
No.1 Sportsground has now officially been listed by Country Cricket NSW as the venue for the December 11 title decider with Newcastle's primary playing questions centring around Pat Magann and Logan Weston.
Magann (side strain) continues to race the fitness clock and Weston (groin) remains a chance of forcing his way back into the team while Burley says Joey Gillard was recently cleared to feature for Newcastle despite the upcoming under-19 Australian tournament.
Left-arm paceman Magann is sitting out the current club fixture after hurting himself during the preliminary rounds of the state carnival in Tamworth less than a fortnight ago.
He claimed back-to-back five-wicket hauls on debut for Newcastle at the NSW Country Championships following on from a hat-trick with Wallsend in first grade.
"The main one for us is Pat Magann. He's missing this club round, but hopefully he'll be right. I guess we're lucky because we've got a bit of depth in our squad," Burley told the Newcastle Herald.
University's Josh Bennett and Waratah-Mayfield's Josh McTaggart were the other seamers used by Newcastle in qualifying for the 2022-23 showdown alongside spinning trio Nick Foster, Aaron Bills and Dan Chillingworth.
English import Weston got named as a batsman in Newcastle's original squad but was eventually ruled out because of injury.
He since returned for Stockton, who resume at 0-8 at Lynn Oval on Saturday chasing Belmont's 208.
"Possibly. He'll train with us and he's playing on Saturday so if he gets a few runs he probably puts the pressure on someone," Burley said.
"In fairness to him he was named in that initial team and was only out because of injury not availability, so if he's fit and gets a few runs this weekend he's got to be in the conversation.
"Obviously you want the guys who got you there to do the job in the final, but he's also probably shown that he should be in contention."
Newcastle senior rookie Gillard has the Under-19 National Championships in Adelaide from December 15, but Burley says "it might have been different if he was an opening bowler, but as an opening batsman he's been cleared to play by Cricket NSW".
In terms of playing at No.1 Sportsground, Burley says "I think it's in the contest to be the best country venue around at the moment" following recent upgrades to the pitch and outfield.
Newcastle, vying for an unprecedented fourth straight crown, last won a final at home in 2015-16.
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