Dan kicks off the season and farewells the Hornet
 Righto, let's get this straight; someone is yanking the Editor's chain. That was not Dan Frogan in the article introducing this column. As far as anyone knows there are no existing images of the great Australian, who amongst other things, holds the single day dog-sledding record in Antarctica. The Editor may be forgiven if it was an archived shot but, if it was, it has been mislabelled.
Further, it would be unprecedented and highly unlikely for a Walkely Award nominees to write regular articles about Sydney grade cricket teams, even a club with the obvious drawing ability of those who are wont to be off to Merewether at the finish of play. Whilst Frogan will give insights into the Stags' season 2005-2006, their opponents and matters of cultural importance, he will do so through the less able pen of another. Undoubtedly, Frogan would be ideal but when you pay peanuts you should not expect more than a monkey.
So to the coming season and it looks promising on the playing front. Despite some wet weather all of the teams look pretty strong and Gordon appear to have a great opportunity to make a winning start against Eastern Suburbs. At this point of the column it would be natural to turn to Frogan for his words of wisdom but firstly he recently has been called in to counsel the Australian cricket team and secondly he knows little about Eastern Suburbs. He did play at Waverley Oval against a team that donned yellow and blue and he dominated in the "back room" under the grandstand at the famous ground but he couldn't give an insight into any team called "Easts".
Easts will be a tough club to start against but it will serve as a good measuring stick to the newly perceived depth in the club. One day games are about good fielding, tight and disciplined bowling and batting in partnerships for the maximum number of overs. Frogan noticed, sitting near the scoreboard at Chatswood Oval over the last month, that the talent certainly exists in the Highland ranks to put scores on the board, whilst cautioning that a winning score cannot be made in the first 15 overs of a game, let alone the first 15 overs of a season. Frogan also gave some tips about which lures were likely to be successful when fishing for trout in various New South Wales rivers. He quite truly is all things to all people, Dr Frogan.
 It should be mentioned that a befitting send off was given to last season's first grade skipper and wicket-keeper Richie Brown. The Hornet played 5 years at the club and scored nearly 2,000 runs batting anywhere from opener to number 8. A good clubman has been lost to Gordon but it opens a new opportunity to the likes of Rosen, Makepeace et al, to establish themselves as the next long term wicketkeeper at a club who in Oldfield, Taber, Emery and Gilchrist, have produced 4 players who have kept for Australia. Many think Frogan also kept wickets for Australia but it is only a rumour. He had enough commitments fielding at square third man, batting at sixth wicket down and acting as the team's masseuse to be able to put his full efforts into wearing the gauntlets as well.
Let's get off to a good start, score runs, take wickets and win some early games. It always argurs well for a season to hear the club song belted out from a number of successful dressing rooms, following which a few celebratory beers will be consumed at the Greengate. Finally, the good doctor observes: if you think that you are not in the right grade, you can change it. Score a hundred or take 5 wickets and the selectors must take notice. Good luck and may Frogan's good fortune be on your side. | 
